I see this question posted
often in places where writers ask each other (or ask publishing professionals.)~~
Is my writing literary?
And, for that matter, what does “literary” mean?
I’ve seen agents and editors say that literary writing is both
beautiful, rich in vocabulary, subtle, and layered.
Strictly speaking, any good book is all the above, and many
good books aren’t classified as literary.
My understanding is that literary writing makes allusions to
other literary writing. The layers are the reliance on literature that came
before. If you have not read old literature, you will miss the allusions and
the reading will not be as rich, but it would be satisfying,
regardless.
A writer is literary because they have studied,
read, absorbed much literature, and their writing can’t help but be grounded in past works. A literary writer inhabits the world of literature of yore.
Good writers who may
not be writing literary fiction tell stories in their own voice, which may be
matter of fact even as the stories have distinct style. Good storytelling does not have
to be literary, and literary fiction may at times not be great storytelling.
Regardless, it’s not something to worry about.
8 comments:
You make excellent points Mirka. The important thing is a good story!
"Literary," like "beautiful" is an adjective you probably can't apply to your own work, without sounding conceited. :-)
It's best to leave that word to the critics, agents, and publishers.
But I think you've captured its essence.
I tend to separate books into literary and commercial - I sometimes wish I was a more commercial writer since they seem to sell a lot more books:) WINN DIXIE came to my mind as I read - surely it would be considered literary, although not in a grand way, I suppose. Cheers!
I love beautiful, literary language, but if I don't love the characters and there's little plot in the book, it doesn't necessarily keep my attention.
Thank you for sharing this explanation of literary. Since I don't write things longer than picture books, I hadn't given the concept much thought, but what you say makes sense.
I hadn't thought about the connection with the past writing. The funny thing is that I often get comments that my characters don't sound like kids. I use too many words. I think this is because I read so many old books.
But I also wouldn't call myself "literary."
With that word comes the connotation that you might win an award or something like that, so I feel like labeling yourself as "literary" feels a little too much like bragging.
I would agree: "In any case, it's not something to worry about." I can't think of anything more depressing than to sit down with a good story idea and then to ask oneself, "But is it literary?" Lol.
There's also the explanation that literary fiction is character-driven, rather than plot-driven. But I listen to a lot of audio versions of mystery novels and many--the good ones--include characters that develop over time and through the plots. So, who is to say?
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