Literary Theory and the Writers Who Love It

[tlbodine]

I waffled over where to post this and whether to post it at all, but I finally decided to just go for it.

I'm an English major at heart, though I graduated six years ago, and some old habits die hard. Recently, I've been feeling supremely lonely in matters of literature. I want nothing better than to sit down with some people and discuss books in an in-depth, analytical sort of way -- looking at them not just in terms of quality or story, but their significance. Sadly, I don't really know many people who enjoy this as much as I do.

I also tend to think about literary theory as part of my writing process, which I don't necessarily see as many people doing. I spend a lot of time working on theme and structure, and I'm interested in innovating and experimenting. Though I am undeniably a writer of speculative fiction, I care about a lot of the so-called "literary fiction" elements, and that makes it kind of hard for me to find a writer's group I fit in with.

So, my question: Are there others out there who miss their Lit classes as much as I do? Are they looking for people to talk to about books? Do they want to find readers or critique partners who are interested in the "literary" aspects of fantasy/sci-fi/horror?

If there's a few of us out there, perhaps we can team up. Form a crit group, a book club, a blog circle, *something* to give us an outlet for this type of analysis. Or if such a thing exists already, somewhere, perhaps someone would be so kind as to point me toward it?

 

[Steerpike]

I enjoy literary fiction a great deal. This is true when I read newer books, or even books within the genre that crossover into that realm, or when I read classics (Nabokov, Conrad, Dostoevsky, Melville, Woolf, Joyce (as long as it's not Finnegan's Wake)). Happy to discuss any of this sort of thing, though I'm not an English major and can't claim to have any expertise in this area.

 

[Penpilot]

I like to poke my head into the literary world every so often. There are lots of cool things to analyse and pick a part and ponder over. Things aren't as clean cut as a lot of genre fiction. I read A Sense of an Ending a little while back. Depending on how you view things, the book can be interpreted in so many different ways depending on who you are and how you feel at that moment. Sometimes it can be frustrating and off-putting. Other times it can really make one wonder about and re-evaluate ourselves and our lives.

 

[tlbodine]

Steerpike -- Oddly enough, I don't read that much contemporary literary fiction. I am really interested in the sort of cross-over authors though...like China Mieville, who seems to hold a corner of "literary fantasy" that I find pretty delightful. Someone recently recommended The Art of Racing in the Rain, which seems like precisely the sort of thing I'd be interested in, so I should see about following up on that. If I ever get finished with these GRRM books, anyway.

Penpilot -- That really is the crux of what I love about literature

I watched Gatsby over the weekend. I don't even particularly like that book (although, sometimes I think that may be the point -- I'm not sure Fitzgerald intended it to be *likeable*) but it filled me with oh-so-many thoughts about life afterward. It's a good feeling, even if all that introspection does occasionally get a bit depressing when over-indulged....

 

[Jamber]

HI tlbodine,
I very much love literary-genre crossover -- have you read anything by Kelly Link? I've just read a short story of hers out of Magic For Beginners (set in a convenience store visited by zombies driven past daily by a woman who euthanases dogs for a living, but takes them joyriding first). It's definitely 'out there' in both literary and genre terms.
I tend to think genre (fantasy in particular) is where all the most interesting literary stuff is happening these days.
cheers
Jennie

 

[Feo Takahari]

I firmly maintain that any story more complicated than "The cat sat on the mat" can be analyzed in literary fashion. ("The barnacle's ugliness, and the deaths it causes, represent a deliberate rejection of trite narrative arcs in which conflicts are resolved and lessons are learned. The blunt statement of 'The End' confirms this, denying the possibility of true resolution or even explanation for the mysterious deaths [while the lack of description in regards to these deaths denies them shock value, and the lack of meaning attached to them eliminates catharsis] . . ."

That was actually me being serious there.

I don't read much actual lit-fic, because it often feels like it's discussing issues that aren't really that important or meaningful. I do like to apply analysis to the so-called "vulgar arts", though. (And I'll make an exception for the occasional great writer--Tadeusz Borowski is greatly underrated in America.)

 

[tlbodine]

Feo, sounds like you and I are cut from the same cloth Overthinking the "low arts" is my favorite pastime. Today I got completely sidetracked reading an essay on a psychiatrist's blog about how The Hunger Games is a sexist fairy tale. Didn't help me get much work done, but boy was it fun to read.

Kely ink I have not heard of. I'll have to investigate!