Week Thirteen: Literary Speculation

The distinction between literary writing and genre writing can be... weird. To be honest, I never thought about the two as separate entities until the topic came up in class. But, after a brief research session and reflection on the reading list for the week, I came to the tentative conclusion that genre fiction was mainly for shallow entertainment, following certain tropes of its respective genre, while literary fiction is somewhat self aware, more careful with the delivery of the story and its implications on the reader. Literary writing makes you think... but then again genre writing can as well? I had some inner turmoil as I weighed the two in my mind, before they both kind of melded together into one. And, that was befitting of the subject of this week, which is a combination of the two. Having read "The Handmaid's Tale" in my senior year of high school, it was still fresh in my mind. I considered it a literary work, but now looking back, it was indeed literary speculation, containing elements of both sides. It presented powerful commentary on society, much like other dystopian genre works. However, like dystopian novels, it also adhered to its genre rules, in that it takes place in a future that may be real eventually. The Republic of Gilead is not some far fetched impossible world, it could actually exist someday, and is rooted in reality. "The Aquatic Uncle" on the other hand, was more science fiction, and featured elements of the genre, such as sentient, talking, non-human creatures, and some brief, but effective, world building. The literary aspect of it was its prose perhaps, and its thought provoking subjects. This short story, however, seemed to meld the two seamlessly, into a work that could almost be its own category. I appreciated that aspect, and it was a pleasant experience for me as a reader. Although literary and speculative writing may have distinctions, I think I like it better when the two are combined, and they certainly present a more compelling story when working in tandem.