History Main / LitFic

In some established genres, works get OutOfTheGhetto quite often. The more serious sort of SpyFiction is especially prone to this, since its subject matter lends itself to explorations of morality, power, and the nuances of man's psyche[[note]]Creator/{{Graham Greene|Author}} and Creator/JohnLeCarre are major examples of this[[/note]]. DetectiveFiction also enjoys a certain "literary respectability," thanks in part to the legacies of figures like Creator/ArthurConanDoyle, Creator/AgathaChristie, and Creator/EdgarAllanPoe. Publishers often use the term "upmarket fiction" to describe works that combine aspects of literary fiction and genre fiction.

In some established genres, works get OutOfTheGhetto quite often. The more serious sort of SpyFiction is especially prone to this, since its subject matter lends itself to explorations of morality, power, and the nuances of man's psyche[[note]]Creator/{{Graham Greene|Author}} and Creator/JohnLeCarre are major examples of this[[/note]]. DetectiveFiction also enjoys a certain "literary respectability," thanks in part to the legacies of figures like Creator/ArthurConanDoyle, Creator/AgathaChristie, and Creator/EdgarAllenPoe. Publishers often use the term "upmarket fiction" to describe works that combine aspects of literary fiction and genre fiction.

Much like other things in life, the division between literary fiction and genre fiction is not a total binary dichotomy. The typical struggles of people just trying to find their place in the world comprise ''one'' aspect of storytelling; the speculation on what the world would be like if only it were slightly more fantastic is ''another'' aspect of storytelling. Various works will emphasize these two aspects to varying degrees, and as a result, sometimes the line between the two genres becomes blurred. To top it off, it is worth keeping in mind that works from both genres will often defy expectation and act wildly out of the stereotype expected of them. Some works dealing with “ordinary situations and ordinary people” will make you cry with laughter. Some works dealing with spaceship politics on the planet Xyrrzquilon VI will introduce situations that hit close to home and will make you pause and really think about your own life and where it is going. And works in some established genres get OutOfTheGhetto quite often--the more serious sort of SpyFiction is especially prone to this, since its subject matter lends itself to explorations of morality, power, and the nuances of man's psyche[[note]]Creator/{{Graham Greene|Author}} and Creator/JohnLeCarre are major examples of this[[/note]]. Publishers often use the term "upmarket fiction" to describe works that combine aspects of literary fiction and genre fiction.

From this you might infer that this is typically not the kind of work that provides one’s daily fix of [[JustForFun/AvatarAndTheAirbendingFellowshipOfVampireSlayers vampire-hunting, magically-transforming, banana-bending, mecha-piloting, super-powered, time-travelling teenagers beating the odds]]. A touch of MagicalRealism might be allowed, but never to the point where it becomes the focus of the story. Rather, a piece of Lit Fic is much likelier to be about everyday people doing everyday things, dealing with everyday problems and eventually coming to realizations or personal transformations. A family struggles with cancer. A man struggles with death. A couple struggles with alcoholism. A child struggles to become an adult. Literary fiction is therefore sometimes criticized as “100,000 words in which nothing happens.” Interestingly, this gives it much overlap with what is called SliceOfLife fiction, which is similarly about people going on with their daily lives (although SliceOfLife is in a very general sense perceived to be more lighthearted).

* ''Literature/{{Miriam}}''

* ''Literature/TheNecklace''

* "Literature/TheNecklace"

* "Literature/{{Miriam}}"

From this you might infer that this is typically not the kind of work that provides one’s daily fix of [[JustForFun/AvatarAndTheAirbendingFellowshipOfVampireSlayers vampire-hunting, magically-transforming, banana-bending, mecha-piloting, super-powered, time-travelling teenagers beating the odds]]. A touch of MagicalRealism might be allowed, but never to the point where it becomes the focus of the story. Rather, a piece of LitFic is much likelier to be about everyday people doing everyday things, dealing with everyday problems and eventually coming to realizations or personal transformations. A family struggles with cancer. A man struggles with death. A couple struggles with alcoholism. A child struggles to become an adult. Literary fiction is therefore sometimes criticized as “100,000 words in which nothing happens.” Interestingly, this gives it much overlap with what is called SliceOfLife fiction, which is similarly about people going on with their daily lives (although SliceOfLife is in a very general sense perceived to be more lighthearted).

There is very little {{escapism}} or WishFulfillment in LitFic. For some readers, this induces an instinctive aversion to the genre; they deem it pretentious and boring, an over-application of “write what you know” that is mainly capable of generating [[MostWritersAreWriters tales of middle-aged English professors contemplating adultery]]. For other readers, the contrast between the realism and the conventions of genre fiction is refreshing and makes stories more relatable. LitFic, more than any other genre, invests itself in real-life situations and real-life people. This is, generally, a good investment; in the end, even in the wackiest and most speculative adventures, the touch of real life—characters and their believable faults and struggles—is what ties everything together, carries the WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief and keeps the EightDeadlyWords at bay.

!! Examples of LitFic with pages on this wiki include:

Much like other things in life, the division between literary fiction and genre fiction is not a total binary dichotomy. The typical struggles of people just trying to find their place in the world comprise ''one'' aspect of storytelling; the speculation on what the world would be like if only it were slightly more fantastic is ''another'' aspect of storytelling. Various works will emphasize these two aspects to varying degrees, and as a result, sometimes the line between the two genres becomes blurred. To top it off, it is worth keeping in mind that works from both genres will often defy expectation and act wildly out of the stereotype expected of them. Some works dealing with “ordinary situations and ordinary people” will make you cry with laughter. Some works dealing with spaceship politics on the planet Xyrrzquilon VI will introduce situations that hit close to home and will make you pause and really think about your own life, and where it is going. And works in some established genres get OutOfTheGhetto quite often--the more serious sort of SpyFiction is especially prone to this, since its subject matter lends itself to explorations of morality, power, and the nuances of man's psyche[[note]]Creator/{{Graham Greene|Author}} and Creator/JohnLeCarre are major examples of this[[/note]]. Publishers often use the term "upmarket fiction" to describe works that combine aspects of literary fiction and genre fiction.

Ostensibly for this reason, Lit fic has a reputation as the “mainstream” of fiction. It does not have the greatest market share and is overall not the most popular, but it aims at the center of mass of what storytelling is about, and as a result if a work of fiction is called a “classic”, most of the time it’s a piece of Lit Fic. It’s worth noting that the genre really only began to appear towards the end of the 19th century, when the corresponding genre fictions began to crystallize. (One could argue that most works of fiction before the emergence of genre fic are essentially lit fic, but the term is generally used to refer to contemporary works.)

Much like other things in life, the division between literary fiction and genre fiction is not a total binary dichotomy. The typical struggles of people just trying to find their place in the world comprise ''one'' aspect of storytelling; the speculation on what the world would be like if only it were slightly more fantastic is ''another'' aspect of storytelling. Various works will emphasize these two aspects to varying degrees, and as a result, sometimes the line between the two genres becomes blurred. To top it off, it is worth keeping in mind that works from both genres will often defy expectation and act wildly out of the stereotype expected of them. Some works dealing with “ordinary situations and ordinary people” will make you cry with laughter. Some works dealing with spaceship politics on the planet Xyrrzquilon VI will introduce situations that hit close to home and will make you pause and really think about your own life, and where it is going. And works in some established genres get OutOfTheGhetto quite often--the more serious sort of SpyFiction is especially prone to this, since its subject matter lends itself to explorations of morality, power, and the nuances of man's psyche[[note]]Creator/GrahamGreene and Creator/JohnLeCarre are major examples of this[[/note]]. Publishers often use the term "upmarket fiction" to describe works that combine aspects of literary fiction and genre fiction.

* Creator/GrahamGreene

* ''Literature/{{Home}}''

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