History Main / LitFic

* ''Literature/WhiteNoise''

Some established genres are remarkably prone to getting OutOfTheGhetto. This is especially true of the heavier kind of SpyLiterature, since its subject matter naturally raises questions about morality, politics, power, loyalty, and the nuances of man's psyche[[note]]Creator/{{Graham Greene|Author}} and Creator/JohnLeCarre are perhaps the two best examples of this[[/note]]. ScienceFiction also can become "respectable" if a work explores its era's social and philosophical problems[[note]]Such as "playing god" in the 19th century, totalitarianism during the mid-20th century, nuclear weapons during the Cold War, man's place in the cosmos during the Space Race, artificial intelligence after the birth of computers, and ecological worries from the 1970s onwards[[/note]]. Interestingly, "literary" sci-fi novels often aren't accepted into the literary canon until [[VindicatedByHistory long after their publication]] ... at which point they stop being considered sci-fi[[note]]''Literature/ACanticleForLeibowitz'', ''Literature/BraveNewWorld'', ''Literature/NineteenEightyFour'', ''Literature/SlaughterhouseFive'', and ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'' all were published as sci-fi, but they aren't taught as such in schools[[/note]].

In general, SpeculativeFiction novels that get OutOfTheGhetto tend to be [[TrueArtIsAngsty darker than other works in their genres]]. If it's SpyLiterature, expect moments of action to be few and far between, and expect the ending to be [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet]] at best. If it's science fiction, the setting will probably be be dystopian. It also helps if a work is [[TrueArtIsAncient old]]: after all, the concept of lit-fic didn't exist until the 1960s, so many older respected "speculative" authors got grandfathered into the literary canon[[note]]Creator/JosephConrad, Creator/MaryShelley, Creator/JulesVerne, Creator/RobertLouisStevenson, Creator/HGWells, and Creator/EdgarAllanPoe are a few prominent cases[[/note]]. Publishers often use the term "upmarket fiction" to describe works that combine aspects of literary fiction and genre fiction.

* ''Literature/TropicOfCancer''

* ''Literature/{{Pure}}''

* ''Literature/TheCrossing''
* ''Literature/CitiesOfThePlain''

* ''Literature/Libra''