What makes The Lovely Bones literary Fiction?

Many writers wonder about the differences between literary fiction and commercial fiction. Below I've broken each category down to show the most significant contrasts between the two.

Literary Fiction:

Confronts life as we know it

Action makes little (or no) difference to the conflict

Resolves the story, but not necessarily the conflict by the end

Confronts issues pertaining to the human condition

Is challenging and thought-provoking

The beauty of the writing is often remarked upon--often aspires to win awards in the literary world

Focuses more on the poise of expression, psychological acumen, and character

Commercial Fiction:

Diverts us from life for a while

Action always makes a difference to the conflict--can be good OR bad

Characters aren't always realistic, they often seem slightly cartoonish

Social issues described are similar to the ones portrayed on sitcoms or in movies

Can be read quickly and easily--without too much thinking involved

Written to entertain a much wider audience

Focuses more on narrative and plot

However, what most other articles, sites, and writers don't focus on are the things that two types of fiction SHARE. It's also important to understand a few of the similarities between (good) literary and commercial fiction.

Ingredients for a good piece of fiction, be it literary or commercial:

Good fiction is grammatically accurate and well edited

Good fiction is character driven

Good fiction evokes emotions from its readers

Good fiction is written with specificity (write concretely, not vaguely)

Do you have to label your fiction writing as literary or commercial? I don't think so, necessarily. But it is a good idea to understand the basics if you're working your way into the writing/publishing community.