This course focuses on the novel of manners, a literary tradition that began in the nineteenth century, but enjoys widespread popularity in the contemporary phenomenon dubbed as "chick lit". We will survey how this qualitative sociology negotiates the interplay between romantic and economic concerns. Texts may include works by major writers of this subgenre, e.g. Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, and Evelyn Waugh, as well as new incarnations like 'Bridget Jones Diary' and 'Sex and the City'.