potboiler
potboiler — noun
- potboilersingular
- potboilersplural
1. A novel, film, play, or other creative piece that an artist produces mainly to m
A novel, film, play, or other creative piece that an artist produces mainly to make money quickly, rather than out of a desire to create something of lasting artistic value.
Critics dismissed Asher's latest thriller as a potboiler, though its sales paid off his debts.
dismissed as a potboiler — critical judgement pattern
Rania admitted that her detective series were potboilers, written purely to cover her living expenses.
Jin produces a potboiler every six months, following the same formula for his publisher.
Indra called her first screenplay a potboiler — she wrote it in three weeks to cover her rent.
According to one reviewer, the action sequel was little more than an expensive potboiler.
- hack work
Emphasises the low quality of execution rather than the financial motive
- pulp fiction
Refers specifically to mass-produced genre stories published in cheap magazines; less judgemental about motive
- dime novel
Historical term for cheap popular novels of the 19th and early 20th centuries; now dated
- formula fiction
Highlights the predictable structure, but does not necessarily imply low quality or profit-driven creation
- masterpiece
A work of exceptional artistic merit created with serious intention
- magnum opus
The greatest or most important work of an artist's career
文法句型
potboiler (countable)
用法筆記
This word carries a strong critical judgement about the creator's financial motive — it is rarely neutral and almost always disapproving. Published critics use it much more often than everyday readers.