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!
Thank you Debbi and Adrian, I can't tell you how helpful this is. It explains a lot. I've been struggling to write because I don't feel I know my main character enough. It's been a real stumbling block and I didn't understand why. So in fact you've answered a question and solved a mystery!
Literary fiction is about life.
Novels provoke the psyche of the reader. At times the storyline will ask us to suspend belief. But novels are normally true to life and based on fact and real life experiences.
The most important aspects of the novel are what is happening in the thoughts, and minds of the characters. What their desires are, and what motivates them to act, as they strive to achieve their aims within one or more settings.
The genre of the novel will usually determine the underlying cultural expectations and social issues which influence the characters.
Many novels address serious issues without the author expressing a moral point of view. The authors’ intention may be to reveal a hard truth that has been hidden or deliberately ignored. It is through the main character that we, the reader, can develop a deeper understanding about life.
Literary fiction is character rather than plot driven. More like real life, I suppose. Your day to day life might be mundane, but it your character and how you deal with it, and ultimately how it affects you that is important.
Plot driven fiction could be an action thriller, a "chick lit" story of troubled marriage and shopping disaster, but literary fiction is more introspective and "deep".
That's the way I would define it anyway.