What is Literary Fiction (and What Sets it Apart?)

Published: Wed, 01/03/18

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What Is Literary Fiction (and What Sets It Apart)?
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What sets literary fiction apart from genre fiction?
  1. Literary Fiction Looks Different
  • The Covers are Different
  • Genre and Literary Novels Might Be Sold in Different Formats
  • The Titles are Different
  • You’ll Find Them in Different Sections of the Bookstore

  1. In Literary Fiction, Character Comes Before Plot
  • If writing a gripping plot is important in genre fiction, in literary fiction the plot can be less momentous, more subtle, less frenetically-paced, more beneath the surface. But it still needs to be there, as the literary agent Nathan Bransford points out…

  1. Literary Novels Are More “Meaningful”
  • As readers of fiction, we like to be entertained by the surface plot. But we also like a deeper experience, one in which the novel’s events “say” something about what it means to be a human and what it takes to get by in this world.

  1.  In Literary Fiction, “Fine Writing” Is Essential
  • Both fans and publishers of literary fiction expect the writing itself to be excellent…
  • Not poetic, exactly (though it can be).
  • Not lush and sensual and vivid with imagery (though it can be).
  • Not “difficult” (though some literary novels don’t exactly make for great beach reading).
  • Instead, literary writers need a masterful way with words. Their voice can be simple or ornate, but the prose must always be rich and finely-crafted and a pleasure to read.

  1. In Literary Fiction, Anything Goes
  • You’re free to tackle any subject matter and any theme you choose, and to structure the story however you wish.
Join us on January 3rd for a mini-topic chat.

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