A single woman in her twenties or thirties lives in a big, chic city, has a low paying, no respect job in a seemingly glamorous and glitzy field and searches for a boyfriend and inner poise.

Sound like a chick flick? How about "chick lit?"

Chick lit is an emerging genre of literature telling the tales of spunky, usually single, young women and their struggles that result in self-awareness and, generally, a knight-in-shining-armor boyfriend. These novels are for women, by women.

Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary, published in 1996, was the pioneer of this genre and has set the precedent for the subsequent girl-oriented novels.

"I haven't found any as good as Bridget Jones's Diary," Kimberly Solsbury (senior-public relations) said about looking for books like Fielding's update of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

Most fans say they enjoy the book because it is so funny, but many have other reasons — they can relate to Bridget.

"Bridget Jones's Diary is so incredibly human," said Kate Shelley (freshman-education).

"She's the biggest spaz and incredibly insecure. Women relate to feeling insecure and to Bridget's relationships with other people."

Shelley added, "I think that Bridget's not the best portrayal of women, but I think a lot of it's true."

Virginia Smith, a lecturer in the English department and women's studies, is familiar with the chick lit genre, specifically with the ubiquitous Bridget Jones's Diary and Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell, which was a book before it became the fashion-forward, trend-setting television show it is now.

Smith questioned how the genre "reinvents narratives for women in terms of sexual liberation and other ways of thinking about living," and concluded that chick lit books are not progressive.

She called the genre "socially conservative" and said she disagreed that the female protagonists in these books are realistic or admirable.

"These books are backward looking," Smith said. "For example, Bridget has a job, but she doesn't care about it. She needs a nice man to save her from things she can't save herself from — overeating, excessive drinking, and loneliness."

Emily Rosenfeld (senior-advertising), however, believes that characters like Bridget are a good representation of women.

"Bridget's not perfect. She has hardships but she overcomes them. Guys need to read books like Bridget Jones's Diary and see the real issues women face," she said. Rosenfeld is familiar with the genre through her friends and has seen the movie adaptation of Bridget Jones's Diary, which Sage Young (sophomore-English) said is "accurate and kept the main idea and spirit of the book."

Young, who has read several chick books including Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella, said she has noticed a definite chick lit trend following the success of the publication of Bridget Jones's Diary.

"They're trying to bank off of Bridget Jones's popularity," she said. "There are so many take-offs of it, about single girls with flawed personalities. The books try to distinguish themselves from the others by focusing on different aspects and flaws of the characters' lives."

Solsbury said she reads a variety of books and includes Ayn Rand among her favorite authors. Nevertheless, she is a chick lit aficionado who has read many "girly books."

"I like to read something fun to get my mind off things," said Solsbury.

"I don't think they're realistic."

Solsbury's rationale of chick lit is that "what's realistic about them is what it's like to be single in a city and what happens when you meet the right guy. What's unrealistic is that there's so much about the women's love lives and always a perfect ending . . . Real women are not always preoccupied by the notion of love."

While Rosenfeld said she believes that guys should read girl-oriented novels to find out what girls are really like, Solsbury said, "If guys read them, they would think that girls are complete nutjobs! They wouldn't see the strong part of women.

"Guys would think that girls are really needy and couldn't live without a man. But it's the opposite in real life."

Although most fans agree that girly books are hilarious, their quality remains a much-debated issue. Some readers say they believe that the books are pure — but pleasant — fluff, while others maintain that the books are well-written works of literature.

"I think they're quality books," said Young. "If a book can make you laugh out loud, it's a good book."

Young said that this literary trend will probably continue, "but it needs to maintain its quality. I think that people are still discovering these books, so the trend could last awhile."

With so many books out there, it can be a challenging task to discover the chick lit, but Solsbury offers a simple solution:

"You can always tell they're girly books by the bright, girly covers. They're not serious looking. And the taglines always say 'If you like Bridget Jones's Diary, read this book.'"