And there are multiple genres often lumped together in
"fiction" and
"literature" sections...each with its earmarks and relatively
distinct audience (the feminist-fiction reader picking up
Marge Piercy may also want Rita Mae Brown's mysteries, which
latter the beach-reader may pick up with Danielle Steel,
while the self-consciously hip may pick up FRISK and
Piercy)...they're simply not sought out as assiduously by
publishers, et alles, because they not quite as easy to
pigeonhole, yet or any longer. Note the disappearing western
and horror sections in many chain stores, and the
semi-detached war-fiction (originally created for Worlwide
Library series and similar work), and the expansion of
gay/lesbian lit (including not a little crime fiction) and
African-American lit sections (ditto) in some of the larger
ones. TM
-----Original Message----- From:
DJ-Anonyme@webtv.net [mailto:
DJ-Anonyme@webtv.net]
Todd wrote:
"This discussion illustrates a core belief of mine,
much-reviled by others...there is no "mainstream" of
literature, merely many genres, from which certain items are
plucked and filed under more vague labels when they can't be
seen to fit the currently fashionable genre labels, or, as
with Ellroy's work (as much as this Has happened with
Ellroy's work), when they become popular enough."
I agree most heartily. I've always believed that literary
fiction is as bound by its own genre coventions as any
so-called genre fiction.
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