Quote:
Originally Posted by Nyssa
[...]Does Persuasion or actually any of Jane Austen's work count as "Literary Fiction"?
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Depends what definition you use for "Literary Fiction". If you take the view that it means "something written explicitly to show how clever the writer is"(1), then no, I don't think they count, I don't think that was ever her aim. But you if take the view that it means "something where the style itself imparts its own charm to the story"(2) then I think, yes, they certainly count.
(1) This seems to be a common view, particularly when applied to more modern work.
(2) Seems to be how much "classic" fiction is categorised - it's a charm pretty much built-in to much older fiction by its nature, rather than (necessarily) something the writer deliberately added.