You’ve heard the term and wondered what is literary fiction, exactly. It is fiction that puts character, style and theme ahead of plot, though the line with genre fiction is blurry.
Start with the literature guide if you want the wider map of books, periods and forms around this topic.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Other names for literary fiction | Serious fiction, high literature, artistic literature |
| Typical emphasis | More character-driven than plot-driven |
| Genre fiction emphasis | Established book-trade categories, entertainment, mass audience |
| Nobel Prize in Literature | Often awarded to literary fiction authors since 1901 |
| Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” | Published in 1841, before genre labels existed |
| Genre labels as a marketing tool | From the 20th century |
These figures come from Wikipedia’s entry on literary fiction and Writers.com’s comparison of literary and genre fiction. They can change, so check the source before you rely on them.
A working definition of literary fiction
Literary fiction covers fiction that is more character-driven than plot-driven, examines the human condition, or is considered serious art by critics, as Wikipedia’s entry describes it. The same entry lists other names for it: serious fiction, high literature and artistic literature.
There is no tidy rulebook. The entry says the category lacks a well-established and widely agreed-upon definition, partly because it is shaped by cultural ideas about which books deserve to be taken seriously.
The closest working version comes from Jericho Writers: literary fiction is a category of novels that put emphasis on style, character and theme over plot. Treat that as a rule of thumb, not a test every book must pass.
How does literary fiction differ from genre fiction?
Genre fiction refers to books that fit established categories of the book trade and place more value on entertainment and appealing to a mass audience, according to Wikipedia. Writers.com adds that its primary feature is that it follows certain formulas and tropes.
Plot is where the gap shows most. Kindlepreneur says that in a story meant to entertain, the plot needs to evolve logically, driven by a clear goal for the protagonist. In a story written as a work of art, the plot takes a backseat to the writing and themes.
In practice, the contrast tends to look like this:
- Genre fiction: a coherent plot, a central conflict and tropes readers expect. A romance novel, for example, will have a happy ending.
- Literary fiction: artful writing and theme come first. Happy endings are not guaranteed, and the subject matter is almost always serious.
Kindlepreneur compares two Western openings to show the difference in style and tone. Its literary example is Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.
Jericho Writers makes a related point about expectations. Commercial fiction tends to work with accepted and expected tropes, whereas literary fiction digs deep and often asks uncomfortable questions about moral, social or even political situations.
Traits you will often find in literary fiction
No single trait defines the category, but several turn up again and again. Use this list as a set of clues rather than a checklist.
- Character over plot. Wikipedia describes literary fiction as more character-driven than plot-driven.
- Attention to prose. The quality and style of a work’s prose is arguably a defining characteristic.
- A slower pace. Critic Terrence Rafferty writes that literary fiction “allows itself to dawdle, to linger on stray beauties even at the risk of losing its way.”
- Morally complex characters. Jericho Writers says you are much more likely to meet characters who challenge your preconceptions, and cites Sally Rooney’s Normal People as a contemporary example.
- Open or unresolved endings. Jericho Writers lists a potentially ambiguous ending, not necessarily a “Happy Ever After”.
- Social and human themes. Wikipedia notes a possible concern with social commentary, political criticism or reflection on the human condition.
None of these traits is exclusive. Wikipedia points out that fans sometimes say literary fiction is realistic fiction focused on human character, although neither of those traits is uncommon in genre fiction.
Where the line between the two blurs
Many books resist sorting. Wikipedia names the literary romance of Jane Austen and the speculative fiction of Margaret Atwood as authors who wrote literary equivalents of established genres. Kindlepreneur notes that Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is considered by many to be literary fiction, yet it also fits easily in dystopian science fiction.
Writers.com argues that literary fiction can absolutely be unrealistic, trope-heavy and plot-heavy. Its example is Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, where time travel occurs but the novel is still distinctly literary in its focus on war.
The same source says Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is not a romance novel because it does not use the romance genre’s tropes, even though it centres on love and lust. Shared themes alone do not make something genre fiction.
Two in-between labels help. Kindlepreneur describes upmarket fiction as essentially a melding of the two, and Wikipedia says the slipstream genre is sometimes described as falling between genre and non-genre fiction.
For a contrast, the gothic literature characteristics show how a genre tradition builds recognisable conventions of its own.
Why does the split exist?
The distinction is younger than it feels. Writers.com says book publishers had no need for these categories until the 20th century, when genre labels became a marketing tool for mass publication. Edgar Allan Poe’s 1841 story “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” was, at the time, just a story.
Prestige built up on the other side. According to Wikipedia, the Nobel Prize in Literature has often been awarded to authors of literary fiction since 1901.
The same entry quotes the writer James Gunn, who described the literary mainstream as dominated by the academic-literary community, including university professors of literature and critics for prestige publications. He also noted a contradiction: high sales figures are generally taken to mean the author has sold out. That is why sales alone do not settle which side a book falls on, and why the boundary is a matter of perception as much as craft.
How to use the label as a reader or writer
When you are unsure how to place a book, work through these steps:
- Ask what drives the scenes: a protagonist’s clear goal, or character and theme.
- Read a page for its prose. If the style is the point, that leans literary.
- Check the ending. A guaranteed happy ending leans toward genre conventions, while an unresolved one leans literary.
- Remember that the labels overlap, and a book can be both.
Jericho Writers notes that each literary book can also be classed into a genre. How the book is written is what defines it as literary rather than commercial.
If you want to see how plot, character and theme fit together in any novel, the elements of a novel are a good place to start, whichever label you end up using.
Frequently asked questions
Is literary fiction the same as classic literature?
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Not exactly. Wikipedia says literary fiction includes classic books, which are works accepted as exemplary or noteworthy, but the category also covers contemporary fiction that critics treat as serious art.
Can a literary novel have a strong plot?
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Yes. Kindlepreneur notes that some literary fiction works have recognizable plots with a clear beginning, middle and end, though this is not always the case.
Does a bestseller count as literary fiction?
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Sales do not decide it. James Gunn, quoted by Wikipedia, observed that high sales figures are generally taken to mean the author has sold out, yet critics still debate individual books.
Is literary fiction a genre?
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Sources disagree. Wikipedia says it can be called non-genre fiction, Writers.com says it cannot be subcategorized the way genre fiction can, and Jericho Writers says each literary book can also be classed into a genre.
