Crítica literaria, periodismo y horizonte de expectativas:
análisis de la recepción inicial de la obra de Zadie Smith
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25145/j.refiull.2025.51.05Palabras clave:
recepción crítica, Zadie Smith, horizonte de expectativas, crítica periodística, multiculturalResumen
Este artículo analiza la recepción crítica inicial de las tres primeras novelas de Zadie Smith –White Teeth (2000), The Autograph Man (2003) y On Beauty (2005)– usando algunas aportaciones teóricas de la estética de la recepción. Se examina cómo las expectativas generadas en torno a su primera novela influyeron en la crítica periodística de entonces, moldeando una narrativa que primero la consagró de forma casi excesiva, pero luego minusvaloró su segundo trabajo. A través del estudio del tratamiento que recibió en los medios, se evidencia cómo la figura de Smith fue, en parte, construida inicialmente de acuerdo con el optimismo multicultural que dominaba en el Reino Unido durante la primera época del Nuevo Laborismo de Tony Blair, para ir adquiriendo posteriormente una personalidad literaria propia que desbordó los análisis más superficiales. El enfoque adoptado permite comprender las tensiones entre la creación literaria, las estrategias del mercado editorial y el horizonte de expectativas del público lector.
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