Javier Marías' novel "Corazón tan blanco" (English: "My Heart So White") was a surprise success in the summer of 1996, selling over 1.5 million copies. However, the literary quality of the novel was highly contested in German literary circles. On one side, there were praises, notably from Marcel Reich-Ranicki in the Literary Quartet, while on the other side, the novel was denied any literary merit. However, the aim of this study is not to determine whether "Corazón tan blanco" belongs to trivial literature or valuable literature. Instead, it will examine the process of the cultural positioning of the novel on the spectrum of trivial literature and high culture, meaning that its classification as high or low literature will be described as the result of cultural actions.