Literary fiction
Encyclopedia
Literary fiction is a term
that came into common usage during the early 1960s. The term is principally used to distinguish "serious fiction" which is a work that claims to hold literary merit
, in comparison from genre fiction
and popular fiction (i.e., paraliterature
). In broad terms, literary fiction focuses more upon style, psychological depth, and character. This is in contrast to Mainstream commercial fiction, which focuses more on narrative
and plot. Literary fiction may also be characterized as lasting fiction — literature which continues to be read and in-demand many decades and perhaps centuries after the author has died.
s and marketing of certain kinds of novels, since literary prizes usually concern themselves with literary fiction, and their shortlists can give a working definition.
On some levels it has been suggested that literary fiction employs a great deal of subtext - whereas themes, character development, and relations between characters are represented not through what is actually written, but through the implications of what is written. An example of this could be seen as a character, in a story, describing the temperament of another character. In a literary sense, such a set-up may be used to imply something about either of the characters - or to imply what kind of relationship they have from the perspective of the character describing the other character's temperament. In terms of defining what is, and what is not, literary fiction, the subtext has often been used to assist in formulating that decision.
, novella
, novel
and novel sequence
. In the world of comic writing, graphic novel
s are sometimes considered literary fiction, as represented by Watchmen
. Michiko Kakutani
, writing in The New York Times
, has described literary fiction as having a distinctive "vision and language."
Literary magazine
s, especially those affiliated with universities, or annual anthologies like the Pushcart Prize
, The Best American Short Stories, O. Henry Awards, or Booker Prize typically restrict their selections to literary fiction. A no-genre-fiction rule for submissions is common, although slipstream (genre) or magic realism
is sometimes included.
Literary is not precisely defined and it might be difficult to state whether Science fiction
works like The Time Machine
, The Handmaid's Tale
, or The War of the Worlds
are or are not literary fiction.
. This is in accord with the marketing
practices now general in the book trade. It may also be taken to be the latest version of the death of the novel
debate that has run forward from 1950, and reflects the importance of the novel
as it replaced poetry
as the central literary form in Western Europe
and North America
from the 1930s. However, literary fiction does not precisely fit the general definition of a genre, as it lacks the cohesion of genres such as westerns or romance. On the other hand, other 'genres,' such as science fiction, also lack this supposed cohesion. Although science fiction is often thought of as a collection of cohesive genres all sharing the theme of fictional science.
In a June 2006 interview with John Updike
on The Charlie Rose Show, Updike stated that he felt this term, when applied to his work, greatly limited him and his expectations of what might come of his writing, and so does not really like it. He said that all his works are literary simply because "they are written in words."
Term
Term may refer to:*Term or terminology, a noun or compound word used in a specific context meaning*Term or terminal emulator, a program that emulates a video terminal...
that came into common usage during the early 1960s. The term is principally used to distinguish "serious fiction" which is a work that claims to hold literary merit
Literary merit
Literary merit is a quality generally applied to the genre of literary fiction. A work is said to have literary merit if it is a work of quality, that is if it has some aesthetic value....
, in comparison from genre fiction
Genre fiction
Genre fiction, also known as popular fiction, is a term for fictional works written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre....
and popular fiction (i.e., paraliterature
Paraliterature
Paraliterature is an academic term for genre literature, such as science fiction, fantasy, mystery, pulp fiction and comic books, which is not generally considered literary fiction by mainstream literary standards....
). In broad terms, literary fiction focuses more upon style, psychological depth, and character. This is in contrast to Mainstream commercial fiction, which focuses more on narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
and plot. Literary fiction may also be characterized as lasting fiction — literature which continues to be read and in-demand many decades and perhaps centuries after the author has died.
Definition
What distinguishes literary fiction from other genres is subjective; and as in other artistic media, genres may overlap. Even so, literary fiction is generally characterized as distinctive based on its content and style ("literariness", the concern to be "writerly"). The term literary fiction is considered hard to define very precisely but is commonly associated with the criteria used in literary awardLiterary award
A literary award is an award presented to an author who has written a particularly lauded piece or body of work. There are awards for forms of writing ranging from poetry to novels. Many awards are also dedicated to a certain genre of fiction or non-fiction writing . There are also awards...
s and marketing of certain kinds of novels, since literary prizes usually concern themselves with literary fiction, and their shortlists can give a working definition.
On some levels it has been suggested that literary fiction employs a great deal of subtext - whereas themes, character development, and relations between characters are represented not through what is actually written, but through the implications of what is written. An example of this could be seen as a character, in a story, describing the temperament of another character. In a literary sense, such a set-up may be used to imply something about either of the characters - or to imply what kind of relationship they have from the perspective of the character describing the other character's temperament. In terms of defining what is, and what is not, literary fiction, the subtext has often been used to assist in formulating that decision.
Scope
Literary fiction includes works written as short storyShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
, novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
, novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
and novel sequence
Novel sequence
A novel sequence is a set or series of novels which share common themes, characters, or settings, but where each novel has its own title and free-standing storyline, and can thus be read independently or out of sequence.-Definitions:...
. In the world of comic writing, graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
s are sometimes considered literary fiction, as represented by Watchmen
Watchmen
Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...
. Michiko Kakutani
Michiko Kakutani
is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning critic for The New York Times and is considered by many to be a leading literary critic in the United States.-Life and career:...
, writing in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, has described literary fiction as having a distinctive "vision and language."
Literary magazine
Literary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
s, especially those affiliated with universities, or annual anthologies like the Pushcart Prize
Pushcart Prize
The Pushcart Prize is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. Magazine and small book press editors are invited to nominate up to 6 works they have featured....
, The Best American Short Stories, O. Henry Awards, or Booker Prize typically restrict their selections to literary fiction. A no-genre-fiction rule for submissions is common, although slipstream (genre) or magic realism
Magic realism
Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend with the real world. The story explains these magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of...
is sometimes included.
Limitation
To understand what literary fiction is, it's probably easier to look at what it isn't. Literary fiction is not about chick lit, mystery, science fiction or horror although they are marvelous literature in themselves and literary fiction can incorporate certain aspects of them.
Literary is not precisely defined and it might be difficult to state whether Science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
works like The Time Machine
The Time Machine
The Time Machine is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895 for the first time and later adapted into at least two feature films of the same name, as well as two television versions, and a large number of comic book adaptations. It indirectly inspired many more works of fiction...
, The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel, a work of science fiction or speculative fiction, written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1985...
, or The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds is an 1898 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells.The War of the Worlds may also refer to:- Radio broadcasts :* The War of the Worlds , the 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles...
are or are not literary fiction.
As a genre
It has been proposed that literary fiction is, in itself, just another genreGenre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
. This is in accord with the marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
practices now general in the book trade. It may also be taken to be the latest version of the death of the novel
Death of the novel
The death of the novel is the common name for the theoretical discussion of the declining importance of the novel as literary form. Many 20th century authors entered into the debate, often sharing their ideas in their own fiction and non-fiction writings....
debate that has run forward from 1950, and reflects the importance of the novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
as it replaced poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
as the central literary form in Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
from the 1930s. However, literary fiction does not precisely fit the general definition of a genre, as it lacks the cohesion of genres such as westerns or romance. On the other hand, other 'genres,' such as science fiction, also lack this supposed cohesion. Although science fiction is often thought of as a collection of cohesive genres all sharing the theme of fictional science.
In a June 2006 interview with John Updike
John Updike
John Hoyer Updike was an American novelist, poet, short story writer, art critic, and literary critic....
on The Charlie Rose Show, Updike stated that he felt this term, when applied to his work, greatly limited him and his expectations of what might come of his writing, and so does not really like it. He said that all his works are literary simply because "they are written in words."