Literary fiction describes books with non-conventional structures in plot, which often contain allegory or symbolism. This type of fiction can take the form of novels, novellas, or short stories. It’s also used as a way to refer to the “more serious” fiction books.
These books tend to invite criticism and reviews from major journals, are also the ones that tend to be awarded prizes like the Nobel Price for Literature or Pulitzer Prize.
Characteristics of Literary Fiction
Although literary fiction may not have a black-and-white definition, most works that fall under this category share the following characteristics:
1. Strong emphasis on character development
Literary fiction focuses on how a character develops from start to finish, making it more introspective than its genre counterparts. One way of putting it is that literary fiction wants to make sense of our world by taking a close look at human emotions.
2. Use of allegory, metaphor, or symbolism
Literary fiction works usually use allegory and symbolism to convey its deeper meaning, which is more than what we see on the surface.
3. Higher-level vocabulary and ample use of imagery
Because of its high literary standard, these types of books tend to use higher-level vocabulary and rely on plenty of imagery to get their point across.
4. Plot points aren’t clear-cut
Literary fiction often challenges readers to think differently about certain issues, so the ending may be abrupt, ambiguous, or left to the reader’s interpretation.
It also does not follow a fixed formula for plot structure, and usually takes you on a journey into a person’s heart and soul instead.
5. Philosophical themes such as human nature or free will
Because literary fiction deals with deep subjects, they can be challenging to read. The good news is that they tend to delve into these issues with unparalleled honesty.
What Is the Difference Between Literary Fiction and Fiction?
“Genre fiction” is the term used for commercial novels written in a certain genre (such as romance, fantasy, or horror), usually targeted to a mass audience. Common examples include books by bestselling authors Danielle Steele, Dan Brown, John Grisham, James Patterson, and Anne Rice.
Some genre fiction writers create works that are somewhere in between literary fiction and genre commercial fiction. For example, J.R.R. Tolkien is known for his expertise in the fantasy genre, but his Lord of the Rings trilogy also contains intricate allegorical elements, exploring important themes, such as man’s relationship to the natural world.
The table below shows the primary differences between literary fiction and genre fiction:
| Literary Fiction | Genre Fiction | |
| Story emphasis | Character development | Plot |
| Literary devices | Uses allegory, metaphor, and symbolism liberally | Uses fewer symbols and allegories |
| Vocabulary | More challenging | Easier to understand |
| Themes | Large, overarching, philosophical themes, like man’s relationship to the world | Smaller-scale themes like family, love, friendship |
| Plot structure | Does not adhere to any plot formula | Adheres to plot and character arc formulas |
| Genre | Does not fit in any single genre | Fits specific genres, such as mystery, sci-fi, horror, romance, etc |
What Are Examples of Literary Fiction?
Here are a few examples of literary fiction, with excerpts so you can get a feel for how they’re written.
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
With a bit of an autobiographical feel, this literary work revolves around a very realistic and complex hero named Stephen. Throughout the book, Stephen struggles through important questions surrounding politics, faith, and his life as an artist.
To get an idea of how literary fiction sounds, here is an excerpt from the first chapter of the book:
The wide playgrounds were swarming with boys. All were shouting and the prefects urged them on with strong cries. The evening air was pale and chilly and after every charge and thud of the footballers the greasy leather orb flew like a heavy bird through the grey light. He kept on the fringe of his line, out of sight of his prefect, out of the reach of the rude feet, feigning to run now and then. He felt his body small and weak amid the throng of the players and his eyes weak and watery. Rody Kickman was not like that: he would be captain of the third line all the fellows said.
Even from the very first chapter, we can see the emphasis on the main character’s thoughts and inner turmoil. This is one of the most common distinguishing marks of literary fiction, in addition to the more frequent use of imagery and symbolism.
The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
Back in 1972, three keepers disappeared from a lighthouse, whose door was found locked from the inside. The story, inspired by events that actually happened, opens twenty years later, as the women struggle to move on with their lives.
Here is an excerpt from the first chapter:
The sea is quiet, with the glass-like quality that comes after bad weather. Jory unlatches the window and the fresh air is very nearly solid, an edible thing clinking between the trawler cottages like an ice cube in a drink. There’s nothing like the smell of the sea, nothing close: briny, clean, like vinegar kept in the fridge. Today it’s soundless. Jory knows loud seas and silent seas, heaving seas and mirror seas, seas where your boat feels like the last blink of humankind on a roll so determined and angry that you believe in what you don’t believe in, such as the sea being that halfway thing between heaven and hell, or whatever lies up there and whatever lurks down deep. A fisherman told him once about the sea having two faces. You have to take the both, he said, the good and the bad, and never turn your back on either one of them.
Like the previous example, here you can see the high literary quality of the passage, with beginning hints at the characters thoughts and feelings.
Writing Literary Fiction
If you want to write literary fiction, it might help you to know that it’s harder to sell than genre fiction. Actually, another name for genre fiction is popular fiction, and those books are easier to sell because fans of a given genre are usually attracted to other books in the same genre.
Literary fiction tends to have more artsy titles and more creative storytelling. You have the liberty to push past boundaries of what’s commonly acceptable, hopefully for extraordinary results!
Did you find this post helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:
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- How to Write Flashbacks Like an Expert
- 3 Types of Supporting Characters and How to Write Them Better
Yen Cabag is the Blog Writer of TCK Publishing. She is also a homeschooling mom, family coach, and speaker for the Charlotte Mason method, an educational philosophy that places great emphasis on classic literature and the masterpieces in art and music. She has also written several books, both fiction and nonfiction. Her passion is to see the next generation of children become lovers of reading and learning in the midst of short attention spans.
