tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9158169.post8485541375727679741..comments2023-06-07T08:21:44.675-05:00Comments on Tim's Thoughtful Spot: A Fishy TaleTim McGahahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10344033690443344729noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9158169.post-53135311815243759042010-06-29T20:43:16.003-05:002010-06-29T20:43:16.003-05:00On the whole, I wouldn't know literary fiction...On the whole, I wouldn't know literary fiction from a set of road signs, so I'll take your word for it. I don't often read challenging literature for pleasure. I will give The Serpent Box a go if I get an opportunity.Tim McGahahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10344033690443344729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9158169.post-90195389789387694292010-06-20T20:04:00.210-05:002010-06-20T20:04:00.210-05:00I just discovered this post, and it made want to r...I just discovered this post, and it made want to respond. I am a huge fan of literary fiction and I have no interest in commercial fiction.<br /><br />Literary fiction in America is as good as literary fiction anywhere else. The problem is, most American fiction is commercial, not literary, as that is what sells. The Chautauqua Movement failed. I disagree that American literature is organically inferior. Commercial (genre) fiction is inferior to literary fiction in almost every way. It’s that simple. <br /><br />Fiction is divided into categories. Literary fiction is the stuff from which classics are made. It has deep characterization, strong themes, and is very detailed. In America the market for it has grown smaller over time. Upmarket and commercial fiction writers have followers, who keep the writers writing. Not so for literary writers. Purely commercial fiction has by far the largest audience and requires the least skill to write and to read. All it tries to be a plot that does not violate the formula for whatever genre the writer is writing. Commercial fiction (also called formulaic fiction) follows the design of a genre and each book the author publishes is similar to his last book, and that is ok. That is what it is supposed to be. For example, in romance, there are two people who feel romantic affinity for each other and something is keeping them apart or challenging their relationship. This is the formula. This is the genre. <br /><br />There are some writers who attempt literary fiction today, and even make the best-seller lists, but they rarely live on these lists the way commercial writers do (at least in America). For example, Vincent Louis Carrella’s The Serpent Box. Most readers in America, however, want to read something late at night with little substance, which can easily put them to sleep. Writers of literary fiction do not generally have a real chance to get paid for their work in America. I do not know how it is in Europe. If the Europeans appreciate literary fiction, the kind of writers like Carrella and Hemingway, then I agree that most American writers should not waste their time looking for the world of literature to recognize their excellence. They fill in forms for a living. There is little about them that resemble a classic writer, or merits a Nobel prize. I begrudgingly admit that John Grisham and Tom Clancy, for example, are really good at filling in forms. The result is a form, nonetheless. <br /><br />Sincerely, <br />JMysteJohn Mystehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16263634313238599515noreply@blogger.com