BWFoster78
Myth Weaver
I'm not a literary guy. I count being forced to slog through Grapes of Wrath in high school as one of the worst reading experiences of my life.
Lately, however, I've been pondering the differences between literary fiction and genre/popular fiction. I'm finding that my efforts are at least somewhat stymied by the fact that I don't feel I know a lot about literary fiction.
I'm hoping that the wise and knowledgeable denizens of this forum can provide me with enlightenment.
To get the ball rolling, here are my perceptions of the differences. Please let me know if I'm completely off base and add anything I've missed.
1. While I think that, perhaps, genre/popular fiction is moving more toward character based stories, I think that literary fiction places even more emphasis on character over plot.
2. I think that literary fiction places a high value on creating emotion through subtle scene details and actions while "telling" is more acceptable in genre/popular fiction.
3. I think that literary fiction is much more tightly focused on the inner life of a character rather than external events and that the resolution of the literary story is more about the change that occurs in that character rather than on what happened to him or defeating an outside force.
Thanks in advance!
Brian
Lately, however, I've been pondering the differences between literary fiction and genre/popular fiction. I'm finding that my efforts are at least somewhat stymied by the fact that I don't feel I know a lot about literary fiction.
I'm hoping that the wise and knowledgeable denizens of this forum can provide me with enlightenment.
To get the ball rolling, here are my perceptions of the differences. Please let me know if I'm completely off base and add anything I've missed.
1. While I think that, perhaps, genre/popular fiction is moving more toward character based stories, I think that literary fiction places even more emphasis on character over plot.
2. I think that literary fiction places a high value on creating emotion through subtle scene details and actions while "telling" is more acceptable in genre/popular fiction.
3. I think that literary fiction is much more tightly focused on the inner life of a character rather than external events and that the resolution of the literary story is more about the change that occurs in that character rather than on what happened to him or defeating an outside force.
Thanks in advance!
Brian