What constitutes a good novel? + Literary vs. Genre Fiction
Posted: December 9th, 2022, 8:56 pm
I admit that I haven't read that many works of fiction over the last decade. Non-fiction books about philosophy, history, mythology and esotericism are more of my thing. I've read very few of the literary classics. I never cared for the English classics which I had to read in school. I haven't even read Cervantes' Don Quixote in full. Instead I've read only a few titles of lowbrow genre fiction and some Latin American novels from the second half of the 20th century. I particularly love to read novels in Spanish because I perceive that the language has a certain magic when it comes to depicting works of fiction.
However, even though I'm not much of a seasoned reader of fiction, I do have an interest in writing my own material. Thus far I have written a few novellas which fall into the category of speculative fiction and am in the process of writing a pretty bizarre novel about cosmetic surgery, murder and escaping justice. @Pixel--Dude, who has written some fiction of his own, has read my current material. He can attest to how dark and messed up my novel is. Sometimes I doubt my own sanity. I also have a few ideas for a supernatural or occult novel which I might begin to write once I have the plot and characters more fleshed out.
Most people who read my material tell me that I'm a good writer and some have even told me that what I write is better than many of the published books that they've read, but I actually don't intellectually know too much about literary technique. I've never taken a creative writing course or anything like that. I just seem to have good intuition when it comes to forming sentences, as though some force from within tells me how to write something and it just feels right.
That said, I would still like to do whatever I can to better intellectually understand the dimensions of the novel and more concretely what makes a novel good.
What do you think makes a good novel and what elements should a good novel include?
@Pixel--Dude, @Tsar, @gsjackson, @WilliamSmith
I've heard some say that a novel should reflect the social landscape of its setting, political themes, social commentary, etc. That seems to be the case with many modern novels.
I've also heard it argued that a true novel should encompass the totality of life. I imagine that that would entail the inclusion of philosophical and existential themes and insightful reflections upon the human condition.
When it comes to writing style, many seem to believe that the writing should be highly descriptive, but I personally find boring novels which excessively describe mundane settings. Reading through my own material, I notice that I don't often go into much depth describing the physical appearance of a scene. Rather I tend to describe in great detail the characters' feelings and mental states. Those things seem much more interesting to me.
I also think that brief philosophical reflections inserted into dialogues here and there make a novel much more interesting. My current novel isn't primarily philosophical (it's more about the vanity and hedonistic impulses of Miami's moneyed social elite, the illusion of such a society, murder and mystery), but I still make sure to include an occasional philosophical reflection on aesthetics, nature of reality, meaning of life, etc. Often different characters express different or contrary viewpoints on a single philosophical topic and in the novel I explore how such different viewpoints influence their actions.
What do you guys think?
Bonus question: What do you think is best between literary and genre fiction? Do you think that literary fiction really is superior or is it rather overrated and no better than many works of the more popular genre fiction?
However, even though I'm not much of a seasoned reader of fiction, I do have an interest in writing my own material. Thus far I have written a few novellas which fall into the category of speculative fiction and am in the process of writing a pretty bizarre novel about cosmetic surgery, murder and escaping justice. @Pixel--Dude, who has written some fiction of his own, has read my current material. He can attest to how dark and messed up my novel is. Sometimes I doubt my own sanity. I also have a few ideas for a supernatural or occult novel which I might begin to write once I have the plot and characters more fleshed out.
Most people who read my material tell me that I'm a good writer and some have even told me that what I write is better than many of the published books that they've read, but I actually don't intellectually know too much about literary technique. I've never taken a creative writing course or anything like that. I just seem to have good intuition when it comes to forming sentences, as though some force from within tells me how to write something and it just feels right.
That said, I would still like to do whatever I can to better intellectually understand the dimensions of the novel and more concretely what makes a novel good.
What do you think makes a good novel and what elements should a good novel include?
@Pixel--Dude, @Tsar, @gsjackson, @WilliamSmith
I've heard some say that a novel should reflect the social landscape of its setting, political themes, social commentary, etc. That seems to be the case with many modern novels.
I've also heard it argued that a true novel should encompass the totality of life. I imagine that that would entail the inclusion of philosophical and existential themes and insightful reflections upon the human condition.
When it comes to writing style, many seem to believe that the writing should be highly descriptive, but I personally find boring novels which excessively describe mundane settings. Reading through my own material, I notice that I don't often go into much depth describing the physical appearance of a scene. Rather I tend to describe in great detail the characters' feelings and mental states. Those things seem much more interesting to me.
I also think that brief philosophical reflections inserted into dialogues here and there make a novel much more interesting. My current novel isn't primarily philosophical (it's more about the vanity and hedonistic impulses of Miami's moneyed social elite, the illusion of such a society, murder and mystery), but I still make sure to include an occasional philosophical reflection on aesthetics, nature of reality, meaning of life, etc. Often different characters express different or contrary viewpoints on a single philosophical topic and in the novel I explore how such different viewpoints influence their actions.
What do you guys think?
Bonus question: What do you think is best between literary and genre fiction? Do you think that literary fiction really is superior or is it rather overrated and no better than many works of the more popular genre fiction?
