Comments on: Against the Term ‘Literary Fiction’ / Quote of the Day, John Updike

By: knightofswords

knightofswords — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 02:06:02 +0000

I think that to some extent, the term “literary fiction” is a response to what I see as a worse problem than the literary vs commercial pigeonholes: genres. We can no longer say we write general fiction because “they” (publishers, bookstores, readers?) force us to declare a genre. The genres can be helpful, but once you attach one to your book, you chase away all the people who are either prejudiced against that genre or think they probably wouldn’t like a book in that category. Of course, the terms “literary and commercial” can apply to any book regardless of genre, but increasingly people are calling “literary” a genre and–in some cases–saying that if one doesn’t pick a genre, they have to call it “literary.” As an author, I dislike all of these terms because they slice and dice my work up into categories that narrow down and dumb down what I am trying to do.

Malcolm

By: Letitia Coyne

Letitia Coyne — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 03:04:41 +0000

I wrote a response longer than the blog post, [ha] and decided not to post it. Surely labels are more for the benefit of readers overwhelmed by the massive choice than to bolster the ego of authors. Romance authors are miffed because their popular work is not recognized as [L]iteracy genius. Well, it isn’t. Readers who expect Romance don’t care. Readers who expect Literary excellence do care.

For me, Literary Fiction is simply one form of writing among many; it directs those who have high expectations of literary skill toward books they might find enjoyable. No lables are absolutes. While the bending of genre guidelines is gaining popularity in the free digital market – it is also angering and confusing some readers. Can’t win ‘em all.

Lxx

By: Marcus Speh

Marcus Speh — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 13:07:01 +0000

Especially when you’re a writer yourself, or worse, a blogger, these distinctions matter little. These days, most of the really interesting new literature is genre bending, category crossing and trend hopping. Incidentally, I believe it has always been that way. Rules of popular expectations are easier to break and still find a large audience than rules, say, of grammar or cultural prejudice. Of course, the attitude you denounce is also a cultural prejudice, but it’s imposed by critics who matter little to the muse, I think. Overcoming such prejudices almost always has a liberating effect — the fact that “literary fiction” is turned into a protected species by some right now can only mean that it’s endangered in actual fact.