This seems to be a hot topic in the fiction writing world these days... Maybe it always has been? Regardless, it's definitely a topic I've researched and thought about for a while now, so I figured I'd go ahead and share the knowledge I've collected.
Is literary fiction the yin to commercial fiction's yang? I think so... But you'll have to decide what you think for yourself!
So, let's start with the differences, which is what most people wonder about... I've made a little graphic to outline (what I think are) the key differences between literary fiction and commercial fiction are*:
HOWEVER, it's important to mention that what a lot of sites and people out there don't focus on is what the two types of fiction SHARE.
I personally think it's important to point out some of the key similarities between literary and commercial fiction.
♥ me
*I definitely need to give a lot of credit to my amazing writing instructor, Bob Bausch. The first three of each column I learned directly from him in class...
Spot on. Those who read to escape from the world around them against those who read in order to engage with it. Plenty of people tell me they dip in and out of both, but I don't believe them!
ReplyDeleteIn the UK, the balance of the market is very towards commercial/genre (fantasy/horror) to the detriment of literary fiction.
Shame I write literary fiction then!
what an excellent post. I've thought about doing one like this myself, but you did it much better. Many people read literary fiction expecting commercial fiction and come away quite dissatisfied. They don't recognize it for what it is.
ReplyDeleteNice. Neatly sums up the differences between the two.
ReplyDeletePersonally, my fiction shares elements of both. Though my use of language goes above and beyond compared to the chatty punchiness demanded by commercial lit, I believe that plot and action are important to my work's literary aspects.
Hybrid fiction, I think (or at least hope) is the way to go.
Thanks for your thoughts everyone :)
ReplyDeleteseamus, I completely agree with you - I'm currently writing commercial fiction, but one of my goals is to focus a lot on the style of the language and also to go more in depth with the psychological states of my characters. But I'm still writing for a large audience and my primary goal is still to entertain.
Great post, but you're making me not want to ever read lit fiction. No action? No resolution? Nothing happens? Just a bunch of pretty words? zzzz
ReplyDeleteWho buys that?
haha! I didn't mean to imply that literary work doesn't ever have action or resolution... Just that in literary fiction writing, the style is concentrated on more - the language, the depth of the character, the exploration of real life. Real life certainly has action! And, at times, resolution :) But sometimes it doesn't - and that's what makes literary work more realistic.
ReplyDelete