I have heard many things, and I feel I need to know from fellow authors just what constitutes a novel or work as "Literary"?
What IS Literary Fiction?
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Literary
You'll get a hundred answers to this. I think the only way to really know is to read a bunch of fiction that bears the label.
You'll get a hundred answers to this. I think the only way to really know is to read a bunch of fiction that bears the label.
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Two cavemen, carving into rock. One caveman says to the other, "I write thrillers. You?"
Second caveman, "Literary. The money's no good, but my artistic vision remains pure."
****
Bottom line for me: Just be literate, not literary.
Second caveman, "Literary. The money's no good, but my artistic vision remains pure."
****
Bottom line for me: Just be literate, not literary.
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I'm going to give a heads up early on this one: play nice.
Somehow, I always ending up closing the "What is literary" threads or sending them to TIO.
Be civil. It's your art, it's your religion, it's your science. I don't care. You may kneel before the altar of literary fiction, or pray its curses every evening, but just keep civil about it and don't get personal.
That's my public service announcement for today.
Thank you.
Somehow, I always ending up closing the "What is literary" threads or sending them to TIO.
Be civil. It's your art, it's your religion, it's your science. I don't care. You may kneel before the altar of literary fiction, or pray its curses every evening, but just keep civil about it and don't get personal.
That's my public service announcement for today.
Thank you.
ErylRavenwell
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OH NO, NOT TIO????
I just thought it had a simple answer! OH GOD, NOT TIO!!!!
((((cries)))) What have I done? How about just lock it in Novel Writing? If it goes to TIO it'll have fifty pages by tomorrow. I'll go back and read the threads you guys mentioned...
...runs and hides
I just thought it had a simple answer! OH GOD, NOT TIO!!!!
((((cries)))) What have I done? How about just lock it in Novel Writing? If it goes to TIO it'll have fifty pages by tomorrow. I'll go back and read the threads you guys mentioned...
...runs and hides
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Down in the "Get with the Genre" section, there's a forum for Mainstream & Literary. I bet the subject has been discussed there too.
ErylRavenwell
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Read Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things . This is the epitome of literary fiction. Otherwise, Literary fiction is boredom incarnated as a book and not worth a cat's whisker... Mostly works of pretentious, bombastic, holier-than-thou writers.
Literary fiction. Gee, is that something Oprah likes, or thinks she understands?
James is right about this one. There's 100s of answers. I tend to think it is a platform for a writer who thinks they have a particular message of social significance. I believe it is justified author intrusion, and that by it's very nature of being "highbrow", tends to give it a stamp of intellectual or philosophical approval. That's not to mean that it can't involve a great saga or sweeping story.
Perhaps some members would like to list some examples of such books.
Tri
James is right about this one. There's 100s of answers. I tend to think it is a platform for a writer who thinks they have a particular message of social significance. I believe it is justified author intrusion, and that by it's very nature of being "highbrow", tends to give it a stamp of intellectual or philosophical approval. That's not to mean that it can't involve a great saga or sweeping story.
Perhaps some members would like to list some examples of such books.
Tri
Hmm. Looks like the alternative is not much different, if that's the case. I hear more holier than thou generalizations from genre writers than I do from literary writers.
I've read that "Alice in Wonderland" was considered Literary fiction. I've read several Oprah books and most are just good fiction, nothing too big or signif.
ErylRavenwell
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Oh, genre writers, especially thriller and horror writers and bar romance and fantasy writers, tend to be psychotic. You get 'em confused, mate.
The most usable definition of Literary Fiction I've come across-oddly enough, I came across it on AW- is 'Ordinary people having ordinary problems'. Any other qualities that books & stories deemed 'literary' share, I can't comment on. To me, there is a difference between 'literature' and 'Literary'. A Work can be deemed an important work of literature without being a 'Literary work' (at least according to the above definition).
-BS
-BS
ErylRavenwell
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I'll tend to agree, although I'm never certain of anything. All books in the Literary fiction category I've read so far seems to fit the above definition like a glove.
Ok. So a book that is of regular people in ordinary situations makes for literary...such as "A girl has a bad family life, she runs away?"
My novel is not Fantasy, Sci-fi, Horror.
It is set in the south, has a family like theme to it, the character have regular problems, nothing is too weird or out of the ordinary. Can I call it Literary fiction?
My novel is not Fantasy, Sci-fi, Horror.
It is set in the south, has a family like theme to it, the character have regular problems, nothing is too weird or out of the ordinary. Can I call it Literary fiction?
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