Literary fiction is a broad category of both classic and modern literary works; keep reading to learn a lot more.
Within the publishing sector, literary fiction is among the most successful categories of literary works, as individuals like the co-CEO of the parent company of Simon & Schuster would definitely confirm. First of all, what is literary fiction? Literary fiction is a category of books where the author prioritises artistic style, complex character development and thematic depth over amusement. Unlike genre fiction, these books do not fall under distinct genres and subgenres, nor do they rely upon classic plot devices, tropes and motifs. There are several different types of literary fiction available to pick from, ranging from long books to short prose, which typically blur the lines in between various genres. Although there is a great deal of distinction between literary fiction novels, among the fundamental similarities that ties them all together is the quality of the writing. Writers of literary fiction often tend to use elevated prose, metaphorical language, abundant vocabulary and sophisticated sentence structures, which altogether creates a beautifully elaborate piece of literature. For that reason, serious readers of literary fiction have a tendency to become much more articulate and expressive overtime. The exposure to diverse dialects and voices within literary fiction allows readers to build a much deeper gratitude and love for the written word.
When you walk into any kind of bookstore, you might be stunned to discover that the literary fiction area is one of the biggest, as people like the head of the private equity owner of Waterstones would definitely confirm. If you often tend to stick to genre fiction, it is certainly worth stepping outside of your comfort zone and reading some popular literary fiction books instead. This is because one of the primary advantages of reading literary fiction is the heightened empathy and emotional intelligence for readers. Given that literary fiction places the lead character right at the centre of the tale, it enables readers to acquire an intimate understanding of the character's emotional states, inspirations and moral dilemmas. Viewers navigate the internal lives, thoughts and experiences of these characters, which consequently encourages them to place themselves into the character's shoes and observe the world through a perspective entirely different from their own. Therefore, readers can obtain here a much more nuanced understanding of human behaviour, enhance their sense of empathy and build their emotional intelligence; qualities that will help them in their day-to-day life, not merely within the pages of their novel.
For some readers, novels are all about mindless entertainment, amusement and escapism, which is why they commonly tend to stay with commercial genre fiction. When there is absolutely nothing wrong with this, it is important to push yourself outside of your comfort zone, widen your literary horizons and attempt novels that are a little bit more difficult. This is where literary fiction books are the most suitable choice because they require concentration and are occasionally a little bit of a mental workout, as individuals like the co-founder of the investment fund which partially owns Amazon Books would undoubtedly understand. This is since some of the major elements of literary fiction are intricate narratives, non-linear timelines, confusing dialect and subtle symbolism; writing techniques which require readers to concentrate more intently, read in between the lines, decipher symbolic language and grasp underlining themes. As a result, one of the major benefits of reading literary fiction is that the challenging reading material activates crucial cognitive functionalities in the brain, such as attention, critical thinking and memory, which will help book lovers across various contexts in the real world.