This is probably a really obvious question to some, and I'm definitely about to show my naivety, but is 'literary fiction' a genre?
I'm very confused by this label, and I'm also confused about what genre my own writing falls into. I feel like the phrase is a bit of a catch-all (I'm probably wrong) and I also feel like I'm just writing 'stuff'. I thought this question would be a good place to start on my quest for clarity!
I think that's a great idea Louise, I'll definitely look at a few magazines. Do you recommend any?
Yes, Literary Fiction is a genre. However, don't get confused: it does not mean the work is inherently better, or dull, or whatever you'd like to think of LitFic as (also, don't confuse a work which is thought of as Literary with a work classified as Literary Fiction). A genre classification is there to help us know about the work without reading it. It's not a quality stamp.
Let's see if this helps. Consider the basic plot: A man loses a bottle of oil then finds it again.
If it was an action thriller, the bottle of oil would probably have a secret computer file hidden inside it and our hero has to track down the terrorists who'd stolen it before they can use the information to do something terrible.
If it was a Romance, the person who found the bottle of oil would turn out to be the love of the oil owners life.
If it was Literary Fiction, what would you expect to happen? How does it change your expectations of the story? The bottle of oil might be symbolic of something - lost youth, mental capacity, a relationship. The effect it exerts on the characters might be more personal - LitFic tends to be more character driven. If you call your work LitFic, I'm going to expect a particular something of it.
Consider writers like Sarah Waters: she writes Literary Genre pieces. Consider how The Stranger's Child compares with somebody like F G Cottam (I also want to say Susan Hill, but she's still in my TBR pile).
If you are not sure if yours is LitFic or not, consider your audience. Are they going to buy it from the Supermarket along with a Glossy Magazine? It's Commercial Fiction. Are they going to buy it in Waterstones along with a copy of the Daily Mail? It's General Fiction. Are they going to buy it from Foyles along with a copy of the Guardian? It's probably LitFic.
I've never been 100% sure as to the exact definition - but as I understand it, the works of writers such as Ian McEwan, Iris Murdoch (I have mentioned her on this site at least a dozen times already but I just love her books so much!) and perhaps William Faulkner could be classed as 'literary fiction'.
I agree with Victoria - I think that the term 'modern classics' is a good one (though books do not have to be very recent to be considered such). Literary fiction carries prestige - but I'm in two minds as to whether it has to be character driven. It is undoubtedly written exquisitely well and for a book to be written well the characters need to be well-rounded and believable, so in that sense it's character driven; but that by no means restricts the breadth of the plot. On the other hand, many books that are classed as literary fiction are driven by the characters because they focus on psycology and what it means to be human.
If you go on the Oxfam online bookshop, there's a list at the side labelled 'subcategories', of which literary fiction is one. Among the others are 'classics' and 'women writers' and 'contemporary fiction'. I'd imagine that it is a status rather than a genre; there are thousands of books that would fit into more than one of the above! Sebastian Faulks, for example, would have his books listed both as contemporary fiction and literary fiction; AS Byatt would be women and literary. Both have written books that are undeniably plot driven, too! Hmm ... I was hoping to help but in truth have just confused myself!