Why is some fiction literary and why does it matter?
A little over a year ago I wrote a post about plot vs. character-based fiction (read it here). I basically made the point that "literary fiction" is more character-based, whereas genre (mainstream) fiction is more plot based.
But recently, I was doing a little wikisurfing and I came across this Wikipedia entry for literary fiction. While Wikipedia is not the definitive source of information for any topic, it does give a pretty good overview of what literary fiction is. Aside from what I mentioned above, literary fiction generally has these "properties" that define it as "literary":
- Style
- Psychological depth
- Highly developed characters
From my own experience reading literary fiction, we (the reader) usually are able to get deep inside the main character’s head. His/her actions play an important role as well, but the internal struggle is usually highlighted in works that are more literary.
You will find in popular fiction, on the other hand, that while some characters have a little depth, the focus is almost always on the plot, and the action is external. The plots of these works are usually fueled by violence, sex and other high-selling subjects.
However, there is a lot of cross-over between literary and popular fiction. I have read plenty of works of literature where there is a grand plot that involves a good amount of violence, for example.
Why does it matter if a work is literary or not?
The easy answer is: It doesn’t matter. If you like to read literary fiction, then great. If you like popular fiction, that’s great too. There is one arena where distinguishing between the two becomes very important – the law! I’m not going to get into a whole lot of detail here because I’m not a lawyer, but if a piece of writing has a lot of sexual content, it might be considered pornographic and thus be restricted on where and how it is sold. If, however, the author or others, can prove the novel has literary merit, then it can be sold alongside Shakespeare and others at your local bookstore.
A real-world example of this argument is one I have written about before in this post, an Indiana law that requires all booksellers that sell sexually-explicit material to register with the state for more regulation. If opponents of the law can show that there is too much gray area between what one considers pornographic and what one considers literary, the law will probably fail.
While much of the "Is it literary" debate is nothing more than a parlor game, there are consequences for those judgments. But in the end, it still boils down to what you like to read. My only piece of advice is you should regularly cross the line to keep things interesting. Even though I prefer literary fiction, I like the occasional thriller to keep me up at night.
Related posts
- Literary vs. Genre Fiction
- Plot Vs. Character based fiction
- Revisited: Reasons Why I Love Short Fiction
- Is your fiction technophobic?
- Don’t ask if fiction is biographical!
Read More: Literary News, Reading
