I’m participating in Armchair BEA all this week. If you’re a new visitor here, you can learn more about myself and my blog on my About page or my Armchair BEA Intro post.
The current topic of discussion is literary fiction.
Whenever I think of literary fiction, I think of the Stephen King quote:
“Read sometimes for the story, Bobby. Don’t be like the book snobs who won’t do that. Read sometimes for the words – the language. Don’t be like the play-it-safers that won’t do that. But when you find a book that has both a good story and good words, treasure that book.”
King would probably consider me a “play-it-safer.” Not to say I don’t appreciate — “treasure” — the books that have do have both. But I can’t read only for the words.
And anyway, the words aren’t enough to classify something as literary, are they? I always think of literary fiction as being layered with hidden meanings and symbols. Even if a book I’m reading does have those things, chances are I’m not paying attention to them. My appreciation for “well-written” seldom goes beyond the style and the lyricism of the words.
So, while there may be some books I’ve read and enjoyed that qualify as “serious literature,” I don’t think of them that way. I just think of them as books that have characters and a plot and a flow to the writing that I enjoy… and I don’t differentiate them from any of the other books I read that have characters and a plot and a flow to the writing that I enjoy that aren’t given that “literary” distinction.
That said, one book on my 5-star list that may be literary fiction is The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield. Most often I see it referred to as mystery or suspense, but it’s well-written, it’s won awards, it pays homage to gothic classics like Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre… although this last is done in such a way that even I — who’ve never read them — got the connection, so does that mean it’s trying too hard to be literary to qualify?
At any rate, it’s a good book, and probably one of the more literary novels I’ve actually enjoyed.
What are some of your favorite literary novels? What makes them stand out to you?
Cheap Thrills 
Great post…I love the phrase “My appreciation for “well-written” seldom goes beyond the style and the lyricism of the words.” Indeed!
It’s good to know I’m not alone. Thanks for reading!
The 13n tale has been on my TBR for a while, time to get it moving looks like!
I really enjoyed it. It’s a slow-moving kind of story, good for a gloomy, rainy day. Thanks for stopping by!
Loved your post! I often don’t think of books as “literary”, just well-written and something that moved me. But I don’t worry so much about the classification of a title as long as I liked it.
Thanks for sharing!
It’s a tough label. Genres usually have more of a distinction, especially things that are obviously historical, obviously fantasy, etc. Literary is a classification that could be applied to anything. It’s so subjective… I agree, not worth worrying about. Thanks for reading!
I would definitely consider the Thirteenth Tale as literary fiction.
I think I err more on the side of thinking things aren’t literary when they really are… whether that’s because I think, “I like it, it must not be very high-brow,” or what, I don’t know. Thanks for stopping by!
I agree that these are the books that stand out and have some sort of meaning to us, whether or not that meaning is seen by others or intended by the author. That’s what makes any book great!
Exactly. Reading is so personal, I feel like who am I to say that one book is “deeper” or “more serious” than another. Why does it even matter? Thanks for reading!
I own a copy of The Thirteenth Tale but haven’t read it yet. I agree with you, I want a story that is well done. I’m not really concerned with what it is labeled as. Awesome post!
Absolutely. I hope you enjoy The Thirteenth Tale as much as I did. Thanks for stopping by!
Great post! In my opinion, good literary fiction has writing that resonates with you. I really enjoy Jonathan Safran Foer, and his writing was enjoyable to me, but it also meant something to me and there were quotes that seemed really special to me. There were pieces I really wanted to keep with me, if that makes sense. But I don’t think things like that are exclusive to literary fiction at all.
Yes, it’s so personal. What I consider a beautiful turn of phrase, someone else might think is terrible and forced (and vice versa). Books speak to different readers for different reasons. Thanks for reading!