Speak to one person about the category of fiction they enjoy, and you’ll get a different answer from another. It’s a confusing question to ask someone due to the crossover between the categories and the personal opinion affecting their decision.
Some might say the distinction between the categories comes from the accessibility of the story and prose. Some readers state the writing style of literary fiction requires more intellectual thought and reader engagement, while commercial fiction offers easy reading and comprehension.
Others define their decision based on the works’ purpose, being that commercial fiction is a style of entertainment while literary fiction presents itself as art. Some individuals might suggest sales are the defining factor, showing the popularity of the two categories and their influence on culture.
The Issues with Literary Fiction
Literary fiction is more character-driven than plot-driven, focusing on specific writing styles, themes, styles, and formal innovations. It has an audience that enjoys reading for artistry and depth rather than pure entertainment value.
It has a far smaller market than commercial fiction due to the complex nature and writing style used by authors. As a result, it’s challenging for authors to receive high sales volumes unless their work gets nominated for a prize, drawing more attention to it. For every “Catcher in the Rye,” thousands of books never get a readership.
One of the biggest complaints from readers who don’t appreciate the works of literary fiction is that it sacrifices the plot in favor of focusing heavily on writing style or wild experimentation with the writing form, even if it means losing the audience halfway through the novel.
These individuals might accuse authors of showing little concern for the reader. They assume they don’t care about the reading experience and if it’s possible to understand what the writer tries to suggest with their work. Even if the reader understands the writer and their work, they might decide it doesn’t offer them any value in their reading experience.
The history of the Booker prize acts as a microcosm of arguments surrounding literary fiction, its definition, and its relationship to readability and accessibility. In contrast, commercial fiction tends to excel in this category.
Many articles argue that Booker is too literary or not literary enough. There are also thousands of suggestions that Booker must stop selecting novels with better readability in favor of those more challenging to the reader.
It’s unhelpful to the discussion when it appears to devolve into more challenging books are, therefore, the better choice. This view of literary fiction versus commercial fiction shields and aids the writer who uses complicated language and opaque metaphors to demonstrate their intellect and artistry when a clearer, simpler approach would be a better choice. Some might even label it as pretentious.
Articles discussing these subjects are mostly frustrating for readers who love novels and wish them to remain a viable form of content and media. It’s challenging to comprehend and avoid the suspicion that arguments regarding the Booker choices being overly accessible are about snobbery, and some authors consider their work above the heads of most readers.
They take this approach to discourage the unrefined reader from reading their work, or “art,” as they put it. If you don’t have a degree in English, then they don’t want you reading their work. Unfortunately, one of the aspects of excellent writing is clarity of expression, and they don’t seem to get this.
Making writing difficult to understand suggests the author has a sense of self-indulgence or pretentiousness, and both create barriers to excellent writing.
The reader gets the impression these authors think the ultimate test of excellence is how many intelligent readers they can fool into thinking their book is good because they can’t understand it, instead of thinking that the smart writer could rather take the approach of making themselves better understood.
Book Club Fiction Vs Literary Fiction
Most fictional works found on the tables of book clubs are of the commercial variety. Book club fiction defines a type of fiction walking the fine line between having depth to serve as a subject of discussion while remaining accessible to book club members that don’t have to spend hours considering symbolism or deciphering its themes.
Commercial Fiction Literary Fiction
Many writers in literary circles detest commercial fiction, giving it a derogatory classification compared to the finer work available in the literary category. However, most readers just refer to it as a popular book solely aimed at reader entertainment value.
Commercial fiction caters to a broad audience while giving literary fans the impression that its popularity means it’s designed to attract the lowest common denominator of the reader. This is a common mistake in the market, as a novel labeled mainstream doesn’t always mean it’s dumbed-down; it just suggests a large readership finds it agreeable and pleasurable.
The mainstream audience runs from below-average to average to above-average in readership intelligence. These readers prefer a favorable and entertaining reading experience rather than spending hours trying to decipher literary works. However, many commercial titles discuss complex topics and use prose and language requiring inspiring thought.
Does It Matter Which Is Better?
It’s a fair question, and there’s no clear answer. Looking at this post, it seems readers of both categories are defiant when it comes to settling on agreed definitions. However, they matter to readers and authors because they act as indicators showing the genre of the novel in question and its utility to the reader.
Books, even overly commercial titles, are individual works and products requiring a unique approach to reading them, even when they’re in the same genre. We also need to consider the overlap between books, literary, commercial, and book club terms, and descriptions like mainstream, accessible, and innovative.
They assist with showing publishing professionals what they need to market books effectively and how to help readers with finding a title they’ll enjoy for its entertainment value, artistry, or both. An author seeking to take the traditional publishing route must know how to describe their novel to publishers and agents.