A friend new to fiction writing recently asked me what a literary novel is. This is a common question, for which I've got what I think is a succinct answer: a literary novel is one in which the language is as important to the author and reader as the story being told.
Rather than falling into any one genre, such as mystery, romance or thriller, literary fiction can be any of those. But whereas the authors of genre fiction tend to use unadorned language strictly for the purpose of telling the story, those who aim for a literary quality linger over work choice, style, symbolism and other aspects of the actual writing.
Most classics studied in school are literary: 1984, The Hours, To Kill a Mockingbird, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight, the Liars' Club, etc.
The Book Thief, the story of a girl in a small German town during World War II, is a good example of literary fiction aimed at young adults. Rather than say, "She watched the German soldiers parade the Jewish prisoners down the street," author Markus Zusak writes:
They watched the Jews come down the road like a catalog of colors. That wasn't how the book thief described them, but I can tell you that that's exactly what they were, for many of them would die. They would each greet me like their last true friend, with bones like smoke and their souls trailing behind.
The book is filled with new and wondrous word usages that produce new and wondrous images and emotions. If you're interested in injecting your own writing with a more literary quality, this is a great book to study.
Happy writing!
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