A glance at what makes fiction commercial, literary, or something else
When reviewing a book, whether for an awards program or for the purpose of writing a review, you’ll want to consider all the essential elements that go into the making of a fine story. And to do that, you’ll need first to consider — at the broadest and most umbrella sense — what kind of story it is.
This first, essential quality is the core about which all the other characteristics are arrayed.
The two primary poles
The two mainstays of fiction are genre (or commercial) fiction, on the one hand, and literary fiction, on the other. These are the two flavors of fiction that are considered most opposite. And for some books, it’s obvious that the story fits into one or the other. Those are the books for which the following summaries are most apt.
Genre (commercial) fiction
Classified as mystery, romance, fantasy, etc. (or as one particular type of these broad genres, such as cozy mystery or hard-boiled detective) or as genre blends (typically with one primary genre)
Clear audience expectations related to the particular genre or mix of (typically two) genres: readers want “the same, but different,” familiar conventions but a fresh story
Writing style is typically not as important as the story, and it may blend into the background
Contemporary genre fiction is character driven: that is, plot arises organically from character. Characters should never appear to be moved about like pawns on a board to satisfying a plot need, nor should they be flat types. And yet, plot is still deeply important
Contemporary genre fiction can also sometimes raise tough or difficult questions
These stories are typically fast paced: these are page-turners, with a strong causal chain of events and high, ever-increasing stakes. We experience characters in tight situations solving problems
Character flaws in your main character(s) typically function as obstacles to be overcome
The main character(s) should be likable
The focus is on the work being an enjoyable and satisfying read:
The story is most often told in a straightforward manner
Positive endings are the norm
Closed endings (with all narrative questions answered) are the norm
As with all good fiction, good genre fiction is immersive: if it’s your kind of story (and it’s done well), it will pull you in
Reviewer notes
Review and evaluate such novels against the commonly held standards of genre fiction: Does the story fulfill core genre conventions? Are the goals and motivations of the main character(s) clear and do those in combination with the conflict drive the story? Do the stakes progressively build? And so on. Do all of these aspects of the story dovetail organically and creatively? With originality?
Literary fiction
Often understood in contrast to “genre” fiction, but can be considered itself a genre, just one that’s more elusive
The audience is typically expected to follow where the story leads: no set conventions, no set plot points, plenty of room for experimentation. Literary fiction can be wildly inventive and experimental, though it also can just be a fine treatment of its topics and themes and characters without necessarily breaking any new ground
There are subgenres of literary fiction, but these tend to be less explicitly defined
Can be a realistic story in a realistic setting, but need not be: a novel written to a particular genre can also cross over into the literary, if its focus and treatment render it literary *
There’s a priority on style and theme: the way the story is told, and the themes explored, are every bit as important as the story itself, possibly more important than plot:
The writing style — whatever that style is — is part of the reading experience
The themes tend to have to do with the big questions in life, most particularly the human condition itself, or they could be very focused on the problems of that particular character
Plot is often in place to reveal character
All good fiction today is character-driven, but a work of literary fiction is also character-centric: to the point that plot may be more a vehicle for exploring character than anything else, in which case the story turns into a sort of character study
Character flaws in your main character(s) may be the focus of the story, they may be what’s under the microscope, more so than driving the story. Or they may drive the story
The main character(s) in literary fiction may not be likeable
These stories are typically slower paced:
There’s more introspection and reflection
There’s often more description
Telling can be as important as showing
Endings may be negative or bleak; they may be open-ended, leaving narrative questions unanswered
As with all good fiction, good literary fiction is immersive: if it’s your kind of story (and it’s done well), it will pull you in
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* Yes, given that contemporary genre fiction is also often more concerned with character (that is, tending toward character-centric, as much as character-driven), this makes the judgment about whether a particular novel is just beautifully contemporary or whether it tends more towards the literary. Literary fiction is not limited to novels that tell realistic stories, set in contemporary landscapes.
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Reviewer notes
The novel itself tells us how it should be reviewed and evaluated: Based on your reading of strategy and intent, is the author achieving the goal she has set for herself? And is she achieving it well and creatively? With originality?
Other common categories
Slotting fiction into these different categories can be more of an art than a science. Not everyone agrees on the labels or all that distinguishes one from the other. Some books can seem to straddle even these categories, themselves meant to span the divide between genre (on the one hand) and literary (on the other).
Here are three of the most common.
General (AKA mainstream) fiction
Some books go beyond blending the usual one or two genres to play wildly and ecstatically across many — and successfully so. Such books are typically classed as general fiction, a deceptively pallid name for a vital and exuberant category.
Features of this category at a glance
A heterogeneous category
Doesn’t fit tidily into one genre category, or even one primary and one secondary category
Crosses or blends multiple genres, but (when done well) beautifully so
Appeals to a broader audience than the audience of any one genre (or typical primary/secondary genre combination)
Because of this heterogeneity, these books are often difficult to classify and to market
In a bookstore, these books are typically shelved under “fiction” (not any particular genre) or placed on a display table
Contemporary fiction
Some books can feel as though they have no genre at all. They’re just life as we know it, here and now. Such books are known as contemporary fiction.
Features of this category at a glance
A narrower category than general fiction
A realistic story in a realistic setting in today’s landscape
Seems to be about life as we know it
Feels simply like real life, feels genre-less
The stories of literary fiction are also often realistic or contemporary, or both, but not all contemporary fiction is literary: the category of contemporary fiction gives a home to those contemporary and realistic novels that don’t quite fit the literary category
In a bookstore, these books are typically shelved under “fiction” (not any particular genre) or placed on a display table
Upmarket (book club) fiction
Some books seem to balance on the fulcrum between literary and genre, equally placed on the continuum between the two, with qualities of each. Such books are often known as upmarket.
Features of this category at a glance
“Literary feel, commercial appeal”
These are books with a foot in both camps: fast-paced stories with compelling plots (such that they’re page-turners) spun out with compelling writing (such that they’re satisfyingly immersive to readers who favor literary fiction)
The narrative may be more fragmented or unusual; the story may veer in unexpected directions, as long as it does that well; it may not follow genre conventions or may lie outside of genre — or have some other attribute that makes it less like genre fiction
Yet the story is gripping, it’s accessible, and plot will tend to drive it as much as character
