Literary Fiction Vs. Commercial Fiction

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Literary Fiction vs. Commercial Fiction There are two types of literature: literary fiction and commercial fiction. Literary fiction is written to inform or help people understand some aspect of life. Commercial fiction is written mainly for the purposes of entertainment. We have read the short stories The Most Dangerous Game and The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber. This essay will compare and contrast both of these types of literature. Literary fiction is considered to be anything that illuminates some significant aspect of human life, or behaviour with genuine originality and power. It is written by someone with serious artistic intentions who hopes to broaden, deepen, and sharpen the reader’s awareness of life. An example of literary fiction is the short story titled The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber. Ernest Hemingway wrote this story to give insight into the overcoming of fear and the growth into manhood that many men deal with in life. It is an excellent way to do it since the narrative is based on a real story. Commercial fiction is written for entertainment. In other words, it is intended solely to entertain, help the reader escape into a fantasy, and most of all, make money. The Most Dangerous Game is a great example of this type of literature because it lacks organic unity. This narrative, written by Richard Connell, has no theme. It is merely a good hunting story meant to entertain an audience and nothing else. Both, literary and commercial fiction, have major similarities and differences. Both types of literature are also types of art. Unlike popular belief, the presence of a moral doesn’t relate to literature being commercial or literary. The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber prevents the hunting narrative to dominate human relations and struggles for power. This makes the short story literary fiction, unlike

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