Day 3 of Armchair BEA discussion topic is on literary fiction:
Which works of art have changed your life? Be creative and make a list outlining books featuring specific subjects (i.e., animals, recommended prize-winners, outstanding authors, etc.).
Julie’s Thoughts
What is literary fiction? (Thanks Wikipedia)
Literary fiction is a term principally used for certain fictional works that are claimed to hold literary merit.
Despite the fact that all genres have works that are well written, those works are generally not considered literary fiction. To be considered literary, a work usually must be “critically acclaimed” and “serious”. In practice, works of literary fiction often are “complex, literate, multilayered novels that wrestle with universal dilemmas”.
Literary fiction (a.k.a. mainstream fiction) is usually contrasted with paraliterary fiction (e.g., popular, commercial, or genre fiction). This contrast between these two subsets of fiction is highly controversial amongst critics and scholars who study literature.
Well I found this topic pretty complicated cause I have a difficult time knowing what would be considered literary fiction. I don’t find this to be super obvious, because a lot of contemporary novels can be literary fiction too. So I’ll do my best here to list a few that I really enjoyed, starting with Amazon’s top Literary Fiction list and looking at my Goodreads favorites.
Discrimination:
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Animals:
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Award-winning:
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Illness:
Moloka’i by Alan Brennert
Family secrets:
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
War:
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Contemporary:
Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
I didn’t get a chance to do a classics post, so the next topic is Classics:
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Rose’s Thoughts
When I think of literary fiction, I think it basically boils down to books of any genre with critical acclaim and merit; books that stand or will stand the test of time. Literary fiction is not currently, nor has it ever been best sellers. Genre fiction is always more pleasing and typically offers the reader more easily accessible entertainment. However, I think literary fiction presently suffers in popularity due to the price tag placed upon such merit. While most indie e-books can be purchased for under $2.99, most literary fiction books in e-format typically run $7.99 and more. Don’t get me wrong, I love literary fiction, but with the price tag, complexity, and deeper-meaning dilemma delving, I often skip reading literary fiction as it sometimes feels too heavy and ambiguous. I hate to say it, but I think literary fiction is a stuffy title given to books of lasting merit that tend to be traditionally published. I am really into reading indie novels right now and these often are e-published. I find that contemporary, indie, e-published books, while having an abundance of “merit” with which to recommend them, fall by the wayside when considering what is “literary fiction.” Just a side note here: just because a book a best seller, does not mean it is literary fiction and just because a book is literary fiction, does not mean it is a best seller. The two are NOT synonymous.
Here are a list of some of my favorite literary fiction works (and the reason I first fell in love with them):
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (classic lit can be romantic!? gasp!!!)
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (books of critical acclaim can be this sassy? Is that allowed?)
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (hate to say it, but works by male authors typically get more “critical acclaim” than their female counterparts. This is not because their works are more deserving in my opinion, but because of literary bias. That being said, Khaled Hosseini is a male author!? really? and he can write with such heart!? AMAZING!)
The Awakening by Kate Chopin (sexy, forbidden, written by a woman and WOW)
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt (depressing, sad, heartbreaking, and yet I am laughing!? What
IS this?)
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (sometimes the heaviest thing a person carries actually weighs nothing at all)
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LOL I had to wikipedia it as well 😛
I need to read some of these! Great post!
Ooo, Moloka’i is a great pick! That book is really, really good!
Hi-just started following your blog! I really like the choices you listed.Rose- those are some of my favorite books-thanks
Kerri @ Turn the Page Reviews
http://turnthepagereviews.com
I see you’re delving into the whole male bias literary debate. Brave move, but true. At least in literary fiction there are a least one literary prize that addresses this problem, that is the prize formerly known as the Orange Prize.
Kite Runner hurt my heart. Have you read A Thousand Splendid Suns? It’s just as a good as Kite Runner. The price of literary fiction is high…too high. A paperback runs the same price as a hardcover from a different section. I don’t pick very many up on a whim unless they really pull me.
Rose, I am digging your description of literary fiction – including your enumeration of some of its turn-offs. As someone who has been an avid reader all her life and a person who holds two degrees in English, I am a huge lover of “literary fiction.” However, the title alone turns many people off. To me, literary fiction is so powerful because it is a genre or a book that can be returned to again and again and you can learn something new from it.