PREFACE

Thank to Almighty God who has given His bless to the writer for finishing the
English paper assignment entitled Definiton of literature. The writer also wish to express
this deep and sincere gratitude for those who have guided in completing this paper.
This English paper contains some techniques to read journal articles critically to improve on
ability in Literature comprehension.

Sukabumi, Februari 2016

Author

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 Discussion

A. Literary Genre ( Fiction)

Literary fiction is also known as "serious fiction," though personally I dislike both
of those terms. They imply, at least to my ear, that all other types of fiction (genre fiction,
in particular) is somehow less literate and less serious. Still, literary fiction is the term
that the book-selling business uses, so I guess we're stuck with it. If you go into a
bookstore, you can usually tell the genre novels from the literary ones instantly.
1. The covers will be different
Whereas the genre novels have eye-catching covers handsome men on the
romances, dripping blood on the horror novels literary novels are more subtle, more
"arty." Literary novel sometimes have stickers on the cover, too, saying that the book was
short listed for the Booker Prize or won the Orange Prize (or something similar).
2. The two types of novel might be sold in a different format
Genre fiction is usually sold in the "mass-market paperback" format (unless you
happen to be one of the big, household names and have a bestseller on your hands every
time you write a novel). Literary fiction, on the other hand, usually appears in hardback
form first (or else as a "trade paperback," which is the same size as a hardback but has a
soft cover) and then in standard paperback a year later. Of course, these old rules are
rapidly flying out of the window as e-books (Kindle books, in particular) continue to
gain in popularity. Even for physical books, the old ways of doing things no longer
apply... particularly as more and more authors publish their novels independently and are
free to choose whatever format they like.
3. The titles will be different
The titles of commercial fiction tend to be more direct and encapsulate perfectly
what the novel is about :
- Beastchild by Dean Koontz
- The Lake of Darkness by Ruth Rendell.
- Literary titles are more offbeat, more "arty" again, but just as eye-catching in their
way...
- The Alchemy of Desire by Tarun J Tejpal
- Instances of the Number 3 by Salley Vickers
4. You'll find them in different sections of the bookstore
Genre fiction will have areas of shelving all to itself (one area for crime novels, one
for romances, and so on). Literary fiction will appear in the "General A-Z" section, along
with mainstream fiction.
One last point "Serious" novels generally sell in smaller quantities than genre novels
ormainstream novels, meaning publishers are less likely to take a gamble on them -
though you shouldn't let that put you off writing them. You must always write the type of
book that you want to write. And as publishing your novel independently has become not
just viable but (arguably) preferable, what the publishing houses are "likely" or "not
likely" to do becomes increasingly irrelevant. True, the book-buying public still buys
fewer literary novels, whether they're shopping at Amazon or in a bricks-and-mortar
bookstore. But if a literary novel receives some positive word-of-mouth buzz on social
networks, or even wins a prestigious award, sales can still be huge.

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The Sets Literary Fiction Apart
Apart from looking different to genre fiction, and being shelved in a different
location in the bookstore, what else sets a "serious" book apart? In a nutshell, it is this:
Literary fiction is more character-driven and less concerned with a fast-paced plot
than genre fiction. Depending on your point of view, this either makes a great work of
literature moving and profound or as dull as reading the dictionary (because "nothing
exciting happens") Just as the best genre novels are populated by well-crafted
fictional characters, so the best literary novels have page-turning plots. (Admittedly,
this plot is not very likely to consist of car chases and explosions... but things still
"happen" nonetheless.) So it's really just a difference of emphasis. If writing a
gripping plot is important in genre fiction, in a literary work the plot can be less
momentous, more subtle, less frenetically-paced, more beneath the surface... but it
still needs to be there. "So much literary fiction I get in the old query inbox is
plotless. It's just a character musing about the vagaries and eccentricities of everyday
existence. The prose is lush, the character detailed, but one problem absolutely
nothing is happening and thus it's (forgive me) extremely boring. Good literary fiction
has a plot."

- Nathan Bransford (literary agent)

Fans of literature might consider genre novels to have less artistic merit, to be
formulaic, melodramatic, and so on. And fans of genre fiction might consider literary
novels to be boring books in which nothing much happens. But Both views would be
wrong. "Serious" fiction isn't better than genre fiction in the same way that a table
isn't better than a wheelbarrow they are simply different products serving different
needs . Think of it like this: each of the fictional genres is aimed at a specific group of
readers who take pleasure from reading those types of books. Horror fans like horror
novels Romance fans like romantic novels And so on. In that respect, literary fiction
can be seen as just another genre it is simply fiction aimed at a specific group of
readers who like what literary novels have to offer.

The Four Characteristics of Literary Fiction

1. Character Comes Before Plot

This isn't to say that genre novelists aren't concerned with deep characterization. I'm sure that
Stephen King, for example, cares deeply about his characters and tries to make the most
fully-rounded characters that he can.
It is just that he has a lot less space to do it in than his literary counterparts. Part of
characterization is about what characters do and what they say, and the genre novelist can
manage both of these things without holding up the plot. (Indeed, what characters do and say
is the plot!) But another part of bringing fictional characters to life is concerned with what
they think and what they feel and what their childhood was like (and so on), and
characterizing in this way does slow down the story's pace. Fans of genre fiction are
essentially after a "good read," and that means a concrete plot with a lively pace and plenty of
twists and turns along the way. Disrupting the flow for a few pages to describe in detail a

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character's mental anguish, or an incident from their past, is therefore risky in a genre novel.
But it's exactly what the reader of a literary novel expects. The danger for the literary novelist
is to go to the other extreme.Yes, readers of literature will be tolerant of those "slower bits" in
between the scenes (where the character and what makes him or her tick is explored in more
depth). But they want to be entertained, too - and that requires a gripping plot.

2. Literary Novels Are More "Meaningful"

All good novels, whatever the genre, should have a theme. A theme runs beneath the
surface and is essentially what the novel is "about." As readers of fiction, we like to be
entertained by the surface plot. But we also like a deeper experience, one in which the novel's
events "say" something about what it means to be a human and what it takes to get by in this
world.(We might not notice this happening explicitly, but we'll sense that we're having a
richer and more rewarding reading experience, even if we can't quite put our finger on why
we are. Just as a literary novelist has more time at his or her disposal to characterize in depth,
so they have more time to explore the "philosophical" issues and ideas and insights running
through their novel. This philosophical exploration won't take place literally (literary novels
are still novels, not academic papers). Instead, it will run "beneath the surface" of
conversations, of a character's thoughts, or of the events themselves. The theme will form a
kind of subtext to the entire novel, if you like, but one which the novelist still needs time and
space to bring to the surface occasionally. (And genre novelists, remember, don't have the
luxury of much time and space, because that slows down the plot.) Don't worry if you don't
understand all that right now. It will make more sense once you have read the article defining
theme. All you need to understand here is that literary novels have more space in which to
explore theme than genre novels do.
3. "Fine Writing" Is Essential
Fans of literary fiction are perfectly willing to read a novel in which deep
characterization and the exploration of ideas (i.e. theme) is placed above the forward
momentum of the plot. As a matter of fact, they expect it.
And what they (and a publisher) also expect is that the writing itself be of excellent quality,
Not poetic, exactly (though it can be). Not lush and sensual and vivid with imagery (though it
can be). Not "difficult" (though some literary novels don't exactly make for great beach
reading). Instead, literary writers simply need to possess a masterful way with words. Their
style can be simple or more ornate, but the prose must always be rich and finely-crafted and a
pleasure to read. Does that mean the genre novelist can afford to be sloppy in their writing?
No, of course not. But because fans of genre fiction are mainly after a page-turning plot, the
genre writer can get away with more "workmanlike" prose.

4. In Literary Fiction, Anything Goes

The genre novelist is confined by the conventions (or "rules") of their chosen category
of fiction. If readers of crime novels, for example, expect a body to appear within the first
three chapters, your own crime novel had better not disappoint them. Of course, the rules can
be bent and boundaries can be pushed. But bend or push them too far and your genre novel
may no longer be recognizable as belonging to its category - which means that a fan of that
category of fiction is unlikely to find it satifying. In literary novels, there are no such things
as rules. You are free to tackle any subject matter and any theme you choose, and to structure
the story however you wish. You could write a novel which wouldn't fit into any of the
regular fiction genres so instead of writing about horror or crime or romance, you write a

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novel about everyday suburban life, for example. Or you could write a novel which would fit
into a genre but follows none of the conventions of that category a crime novel in which the
body doesn't appear until the final chapter, say, or one which isn't about the investigation of
the murder but the romantic relationship between the detective and the chief suspect.
Literary fiction is more likely to break the wider fictional rules, too the ones about how to
create characters, how to plot fiction, and so on.
All novelists should be willing to break some of the rules some of the time. But writers of
literary fiction have more freedom than most.
So if your dialogue isn't in conflict (which is one of the golden rules) but it still somehow
works, go with it. And if a scene doesn't involve a character trying to achieve a specific goal
in the face of opposition (which is one of the fundamental principles of plotting a novel) but
the scene nevertheless feels right, keep it in. In literary fiction, anything goes just so long as
it works.

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 Conclusion

Literary fiction, also known as serious fiction, is a term principally used

for fictional works that hold literary merit, that is to say, they are works that offer
deliberate social commentary or political criticism, or focus on the individual to
explore some part of the human condition. Literary fiction is deliberately written in
dialogue with existing works, created with the above aims in mind. Literary fiction is
focused more on themes than on plot, and it is common for literary fiction to be taught
and discussed in schools and universities