By Willie Gordon Suting
Bibliophiles and avid readers, at some point in their lives, come across difficult beginning passages in novels on which they have to concentrate hard to comprehend underlying meanings. The difficulty thus at times becomes a let-down. Such disappointment has led many readers to become bored, and hence turn to other simple, accessible novels with pacy, unadorned, linear narratives which, by arousing curiosity through mystery elements, leaves him/her hooked to the end.
Such novels are called Popular Fiction or Commercial Fiction. Despite its popularity such works have been ignored by juries of literary awards. A question to ask is what still makes people so passionate about them?
The mere simplicity of the manner of storytelling with short formulaic descriptions of characters and places and the arousal of curiosity by the writer not revealing how the plot would end has always been a winning formula.
Chanmiki Lamin, a young entrepreneur, describes the sense of wonder he gets from reading mystery/crime thrillers. “Recurrent twists and turns in the story keep me glued to the end. With commercial writers, the reader actively participates in the story with the detective solving cases of who murdered whom.”
Anthea Theodore Jyrwa, a Class XI student, echoes the same view, “Just the rush of emotions inside me as I go through complex twists in the plot makes me feel I could finish the book at one go.”
A few, like Analry Lurkhu, are not takers for such styles of writing. “During weekends when I’m at peace with myself, I like to journey with literary novels. They open my eyes to many things. They familiarise me with the unfamiliar,” says the working mother.
Popular literature holds the largest market share in America where romance fiction had an estimated $1.375 billion share. Religion/inspirational literature follows with $819 million, science fiction/fantasy with $700 million, mystery with $650 million and then classic literary fiction with only $466 million. This was recorded in a survey conducted in 2007.
Acclaimed writer Mitra Phukan says she loves reading both. “Whereas Literary Fiction runs a marathon, Popular Fiction is a sprinter. But each one is great in different ways,” she explains.
In India, we have Popular Fiction writers like Chetan Bhagat, Ashwin Sanghi, Ravinder Singh and Durjoy Dutta, among others, who do not rely on a day job for monthly income because their books continue to be all-time bestsellers in Indian market. These writers earn and make a living mostly through book sales and auctions of their book contracts with top publishers.
According to Trisha Niyogi of Niyogi Publishers, “The simpler the fiction, the easier and the better. Writers like John Grisham, Dean Koontz, Michael Connelly, Chetan Bhagat sell because of their innovation in communication with target readership.”
“Romance, suspense thrillers, Indian mythology, urban fiction and chic-lit are permanent fixtures in bestselling genres of fiction in Indian market,” she adds.
When a novel engages deep thinking and concentration in a reader because of its multi-layered and well-embellished descriptions of characters and places, it is called Literary Fiction.
This, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of Popular Fiction for it delves more into philosophical, psychological, political and polemical themes.
This type of fiction is meant to be read slowly as the underlying meaning of each sentence or passage needs to be scrupulously grasped by the reader.
Literary Fiction writers constantly experiment with style thereby offering fresh prose. They inquire and critique into contemporary social, cultural and political issues. This type of fiction is hence most quoted by intellectuals in the media, politics and administration for it tries to come out with truth. For its instructiveness and polished prose style, it is considered as having literary merits.
Poet and English Professor at North Eastern Hill University Esther Syiem explains why youths today go for Popular Fiction. “It is all about the catchy sentences where everything is sensationalised. As a result such books lack character development and psychological or philosophical inquiry as one would find in literary novels.”
Writer Janice Pariat though differs. She believes “both genres are deep and perceptive in different ways”.
“All literature says something about us, whether it’s good or bad, high art or popular. Literary fiction might be more internal, exploring inner lives while popular literature tends to look more outward,” she adds.
Ankush Saikia, writer of The Girl From Nongrim Hills, describes the style of commercial fiction. “Popular Fiction being short in descriptions and dialogues is meant for quick, easy reading. There have been novelists like Graham Greene though who have combined elements of both forms.”
As art and fiction mirror life, they reveal everyday realities in all different hues. As the old adage goes — Different strokes for different folks. Our choice of any type of fiction is based, we can say, solely on a calling of the heart. That which speaks most intimately to us always appeals.