Is Contemporary fiction considered Literary fiction?

I guess it would depend more on your story line. If it's more character driven a lot of symbolism, then here. If it's not, then I'd go with Mainstream.

But I'm pretty sure all of us here wouldn't mind if you jumped in between. :P

The split between Literary Fiction and Mainstream Fiction can essentially be boiled down to the prose, because one can be both Literary Fiction while maintaining a strong plot (I like to point to Cormac McCarthy's No Country For Old Men), but one cannot be Literary Fiction if one does not put a primacy on the prose itself and specifically the style of the prose.

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"I kill where I please because it is all mine."
------------------------------------------Ted Hughes

Interesting... I've read about Mainstream fiction and it is a catch-all category for usually character-driven stories.

My novels are both character-driven and plot-driven. So which genre?

Maybe tell us a little more about them? =)

It may work for you to simply jump between forums.

Unless you're using your writing to grapple with deep underlying issues about the nature of the human condition, then you're probably mainstream. If you are, then good luck to you :)

But as you can probably tell, no-one can agree on what's lit fic anyway (I can't remotely agree with Magnus Cthulhu's definition, for example), so maybe a better definition might be (with apologies to Marshall McLuhan):

Lit fic is whatever you can get away with.

Or you are writing it if you think you are :)

Tom

I think therefore I am pretentious.

But, don't you see that both of those definitions are useless? They don't define anything. They're vague, nebulous, amorphic. A definition that says 'Lit Fic is whatever you want it to be!' is really saying 'Lit Fic is nothing at all!' This is why I so very staunchly argue for a very specific definition of Literary Fiction. It's the only definition that's useful to anyone. Let me clarify:

To an author, writing a story, genre means nothing. The 'genre' of your story is completely irrelevant to the story (unless you're writing a pastiche, but that's a whole different ball game and should be left to a different post). In fact, I would argue that a writer who is concerned and/or worried about genre is being detrimental to their own work. They can't let the story live/breathe because it's buried under the expectations of a genre. So to say, 'You're writing Lit Fic if you think you are' is not only a useless definition to everyone else, it's just useless in general, because it only applies to author's opinions of their own work, and author should be focused on the work and not on how to classify the work.

Who, then, is a definition meant for? The casual reader? Well... not really. Let's be honest, the casual reader isn't going to be concerned with genre, especially not one like 'Literary Fiction'. They're not likely to go to their friend and be like, Yeah, man, you have to read this new Lit. Fic. novel! They're going to tell their friend, Hey, I liked this. You should try it. And if they're looking for a book, the casual reader is, let's be honest, going to look at covers and titles or maybe check out the 'recommended' table at B&N.

The definition, then, is meant for those who are either intense readers or are, more likely, critics. Or their marketing people, but let's ignore marketing people, since they're not concerned with definitions and right and wrong they're simply concerned with, well, selling stuff. So, to a critic, a definition needs to be specific to be useful, otherwise what's the point of using the word? Thus, for those that matter, there needs to be a specific definition. And I believe there is one. If you will, I shall offer quotes:

First, according to Wikipedia (bear with me, this is simply my first quote), Literary Fiction is defined as 'more on style, psychological depth, and character, whereas mainstream commercial fiction (the page-turner) focuses more on narrative and plot.' Note the very first item in that list.

Judi Clark (from mostlyfiction.com) says that Literary Fiction 'can be the broadest category and in a sense is a catch all, but the intention is to list books that really draw you in with language, imagery, character insight and sense of place.' Note the very first item on the list.

Joyce Saricks says that Literary Fiction is 'complex, literate, multilayered novels that wrestle with universal dilemas.' Perhaps not as clear as the others, but she notes at the very forefront that they are complex and literate, again focusing on the question of prose.

M.E. Wood (literary fiction editor of BellaOnline) says that 'With literary fiction the language is heavier, the imagery lush, the characters detailed and story line thought provoking.' Language and imagery, again, questions of prose.

I could probably find more if I needed to, and if I had more time to research it, but I think it's fairly clear from just the small sampling of personages that there is a focus on language and style as a part of what makes Literary Fiction, well, Literary Fiction. This is why something like, say, The Dogs of Babel, a lovely little novel, can examine the 'deep underlying issues about the nature of the human condition' without being Literary Fiction, because the prose and style of the novel was, well, conventional and easy and more in line with Mainstream Fiction.

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"I kill where I please because it is all mine."
------------------------------------------Ted Hughes

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"I kill where I please because it is all mine."
------------------------------------------Ted Hughes

Thanks so much for this detailed review of the subject. I've been concerned that there seems to be the idea that if there's no plot and all the characters die or are raped or need therapy, then it's Literary Fiction.

For NaNoWriMo, we pick a genre in order to have a group of people to discuss some of it with. That's really about the only reason for it. And for me, this category is about prose and substance and characterization, not about how many fantastical devices I can employ in order to stand out from the Bestseller list. There should be imagery, yes, or some sort of sensory tableau, perhaps, on which the story is built. Still, it's a novel, written over a 30 day period. It can have a beginning, a middle, an end, even a (perhaps loosely) defined, dare I say it? plot, without impunity or embarrassment or fear of being kicked out of the club. ;-)

I choose Literary Fiction each year because my books are largely filled with conversations about anything and everything, and I do have a tendency to write using poetic device. But ultimately, I hope people will want to read what I write, and that means I also aim to carry the conversations along in a story readers will be interested in following.

juniper glen

Oh, the irony! Thank you, thank you, for the laugh!