this post was submitted on 26 May 2025
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I hate when people gatekeep what is"literature" and what is "genre". One of the more egregious examples is someone was rest to die on the hill that The Time Traveler's Wife is "literary fiction" instead of "genre fiction" like sci-fi, particularly since time travel is central to the plot.
TL;DR: anyone who calls one type of fiction literature and excludes the rest from that definition is deeply unserious and so are their statements.
I didn't even know people do this wtf... The only explanation I could fathom would be some kind of over use of the OED's fourth definition:
The key is "on a particular subject." When referring to literature in general, it refers to literally any written work (including letters, advertising, etc.). I very much sympathize with your frustration...