Literary Fiction - Definition and Evaluation Criteria

Submitted by Joyce Faulkner on May 5, 2012 - 01:52

Literary Fiction is defined by MWSA to be complex, multilayered novels that wrestle with universal dilemmas. Some books that are identified in other genres like historical or mystery/thriller can conceivably be considered literary as well dependingon the interests and skill of the author. Member Jack Woodville London's French Letters triology falls into this category in that while his books are nominally Historical Fiction, they also have all the characteristics that would support them as literary novels as well. Other examples of literary novels would be To Kill a Mocking Bird, Catch-22, Remains of the Corps by MWSA author Thomas Hebert, Cold Mountain, and Grapes of Wrath.

  1. Authors who work in this genre focus on style, literary technique, and the psychological perspectives of character. 
    1. The genres focuses on style, literary technique, and the psychological perspectives of the characters. 
    2. Plot is not as important as in mystery/thrillers or historical fiction. 
    3. The stories focus on serious themes and aim at uncovering deeper truths about life and people. 
    4. Often a story will be built on religious, mythological, or cultural symbolism or incorporating archetypes from other types of literature. 
    5. Pacing is slower than in genre'd novels.
  2. When reviewers evaluate literary novels, they should evaluate them against these standard criteria:
    1. CONTENT - these criteria evaluate plot, characterization, message or theme, believability, intent of book, storytelling, and construction.
      1. What is the intent of the book? Does it do what the author sets out to do? Literary Fiction should encourage the reader to think deeply about complex social, ethical, or cultural topics. Does it?
      2. Does the book appeal to audiences who are searching for thoughtful pieces? Will it lead readers to new perspectives on life? Do readers become emotionally involved with the internal perspectives of characters?
      3. Does the author use cultural, religous, or mythological symbolism or understructures to illustrate the message or create an effect that touches the reader? For example, in Stephen King's "The Green Mile," the mysterious con who "helps" others with miraculous or spiritual touches that change their lives is named "John Coffee" or "JC" -- the Christ imagry.
      4. Does the author focus on character more than plot? Are characters complex? Does it take more time to develop these characters and show their growth over time? Using the same example as above, King allows us to get to know each of the criminals on Death Row -- so that when they are executed we see that HOW they die mirrors their crimes. King takes his time providing this information but when we "get" it, it has a huge impact on the reader. 
      5. Does the story have layers of meaning that encourage multiple readings to fully appreciate and enjoy? 
    2. STYLE  – these criteria evaluate readability, book structure, language,  % dialogue to narration, % description to action, %passive to active voice.
      1. Was this book well-constructed and readable? Does the sentence structure support function? Does the author use literary techniques like foreshadowing, symbolism, imagery, epiphany, or metapor? 
      2. Is the book structure appropriate for the story being told? Does the author use scene sequencing to alter impact of new thought or plot elements? Does he or she have a repeating motif to enhance the meaning of the piece or enrich reader understanding of the important elements.
      3. Does the author experiment with person, voice, sequencing and other techniques to develop character?
      4. Does author focus on careful use of language, internal monologue, and dialogue to develop character?
    3. VISUAL – these criteria evaluate cover design, cover art, book block layout, font size, font serif, use of illustration. 
      1. Is the cover aesthetically pleasing and relate to the content of the book?
      2. Does it catch potential reader's eyes with color, design, or copy?
      3. Is the copy correct and easy to read? (Does it stand out from the background? Is the font large enough? Is there sufficient margin and is the text properly spaced?)
      4. Is the artwork on the cover eye-catching and pertinent?
      5. Is the book block properly designed? (Are the margins too small or too wide? Is the font serafed and at least 11 points?)
    4. TECHNICAL – These criteria evaluate redundancies, spelling, grammar, word usage, sentence structure, adverb and verb tense usage.
      1. Does the author use repetition deliberately for an effect or because of inadequate editing? Does he use the same non-article word more than once in a single paragraph? Do the situations in the plot repeat without purpose? For example, in Catch-22 there is the recurring leitmotif of Snowden's death. It works because it explains Yossarian's strange but funny behavior throughout the novel. That is much different than someone repeating the same story over again with no purpose to the story. 
      2. Does the author misspell the same word the same way throughout the book or does he mispell it different ways throughout the course of the story? Does he have typos and mispellings to the point where it intrudes on the reading experience?
      3. Does the author use a consistent style throughtout the book? Does he use grammar standards consistent with the style he has chosen? 
      4. Does author consistently use the correct word for the intended meaning? (To, too, two? or their, there?)
      5. Does the author use adverbs to modify weak verbs?  
      6. Does the author use simple past tense as often as possible?
Tags: 
Fiction
Literary