This is a debate which rages on and on: the difference between genre fiction and literary fiction.
It usually goes like this: genre fiction is too prescriptive, literary fiction is too pretentious, genre fiction is stupid, literary fiction is boring. Genre fiction is badly written for these reasons; literary fiction is badly written for these reasons. Stephen King usually gets mentioned. David Foster Wallace is sometimes mentioned too. On and on and on.
Before I go on I admit there are differences between the two. I also admit that some of these accusations are usually true. It’s true that most genre fiction usually follows a similar plot and set of tropes. It is also true that most literary fiction is boring.
Note the use of most there. I reckon the books we’re aware of (that’s pretty much every book you can touch in a book store, every book you’ve heard mentioned in conversation, all of those) I reckon about 70% of them are the norm. And these 70% fall for all the trappings mentioned above. That’s right, 70% of all literary novels are boring. 70% of detective novels broadcast plot moves from a mile away.
And before you go, che, well, no! And then start reeling examples off at me. Those examples, they’re not the norm, they’re the exception. Saying, all detective novels are great or all literary novels are smart is a little like saying all apples are amazing or all Yorkshire terriers are evil. It’s not only stupid but shows a real lack of literary discernment, alongside a innate immaturity.
I’m looking at you Guardian readership. And you too, The Sun.
So what is the broad difference between literary fiction and genre fiction. Well, in the most general terms, let’s say there’s a spectrum. At one end of the spectrum we have the external world and at the other, the internal world.
If you want to get all Jungian about it, you could say introversion and extroversion, but I don’t feel one hundred percent certain about that.
Now most novels falls somewhere between these poles, but the general trend is that genre fiction sits near the external pole and literary fiction sits near the internal pole.
Take, for example, Star Wars. Star Wars is all flash, all external. It’s loud, exciting, and fast-paced. It embraces a broad canvas, lots of travelling, lots of people, lots of dialogue. And tonnes of real, concrete actions in the real, concrete world. The narrative culminates in a three way battle, taking place in three separate locations. It has so much energy it can’t sit still. It’s so fucking exciting. But if it expanded any more, it’d be unbearable.
On the other end of the scale, we have Ulysses. The canvas is smaller, smaller and deeper. We have one character* and we follow him for one day. And we follow him internally. The pace is meditative, the action is about plumbing the depths rather than throwing oneself about space. This narrative culminates in an 11000 word sentence (is it 11000 words?) with no punctuation, no real logical coherence, no real structure. Instead we explore the thoughts and feelings of a single person. It’s fucking fantastic. But if this became any more internal, it would collapse in on itself.
Of course, there are examples which fall between the two. 2001: A Space Odyssey. Sherlock Holmes. The novels of Kafka. The Peep Show. The Greek Tragedies. Borges short stories. Fucking Shakespeare, for crying out loud, what’s he?
But guess what, we need both. We need to both appreciate depth and breadth. We need to both be bombarded and stilled. Because unlike fiction, we exist in a world which revolves both around both an internal compass and an external actuality. We need to learn how to move between these two spheres for success. Art, in its many forms, enables us to reflect on this reality and place ourselves more readily within it.
*But what about Deadalus? What about Molly? Yes, well, come on. Leopold our main man, isn’t he?
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I’m attempting to collect over 10,000 reviews over at 10,000 reviews, and I’d welcome anybody to join in and try to help out. Any review is welcome as long as it’s under 100 words long. Let’s make a monument people. Any help is greatly appreciated.
The Hotel 