Introduction
Commercial and literary fiction are two different ways to narrate a story. Existing works can be divided into groups along these lines. This paper presents the analysis of two short stories. The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky by Stephen Crane is a western tale written in 1898, about a marshal who goes to his hometown to get married.
The second work, Soldier’s Home, was written by Ernest Hemingway in 1925. It is a story about a young man who came back to his home from the war. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the differences between commercial and literary fiction using these two stories as examples.
The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky
This work is a striking example of commercial fiction. One of commercial fiction’s attributes is a distinct plot (Benedict). This short story describes a journey of a Texas marshal named Jack Potter to the town of Yellow Sky, where he is going to get married. However, Potter’s antagonist, Scratchy Wilson, plans to harass his enemy after the couple arrives in the town, though he later decides to leave him alone as Wilson sees the transformation Potter underwent.
Commercial fiction is aimed to appeal to the broad public (Benedict). The main characters are simplified and described shallowly, with different stereotypes and clichés employed by the author. The marshal’s wife is presented as a “clumsy and overly self-conscious” lady, and his opponent, Scratchy Wilson, is a “traditional Western villain” (“Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and Other Stories Summary and Analysis of “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky”). These approaches are intended to attract a wide range of readers. The lack of description serves to entertain the public.
In commercial fiction, characters must face and overcome difficulties (Allen). The marshal wants to start a new life, so he decides to change his status and intends to get married. Potter does not even take his firearm with him. However, the main character has concerns about other people’s opinions as “he has violated the traditions of the West” (“Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and Other Stories Summary and Analysis of “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky”).
The protagonist is good-natured in commercial fiction (Sinkhorn). The marshal is illustrated as a positive person. “He, the town policeman of Yellow Sky, was a man known, liked, and feared in his community” (Crane 18). The traits of a respectable man are appealing to most people. His behavior during the conversation with Wilson highlights Potter’s heroic male personality when he says “If you’re going to shoot me, you’d better begin now” (Crane 24). His will to choose a peaceful life serves to demonstrate the marshal’s admirable individuality.
Soldier’s Home
Soldier’s Home is a literary type of fiction. The work contains several attributes typical for this genre. For example, the plot of the story is not too obvious, hailed as “finely nuanced work” (Gale 2). It mostly consists of reflections and memories of the main character, Kerbs. He is a young man who went back home from the war. He does not want anything special, usually sleeping or hanging around all day. Finally, he has a conversation with his mother who tells Kerbs that “God has some work for everyone to do” implying that it is time to find a job (Hemingway 6).
The extensive development of the protagonist is another specific characteristic of a literary work (Benedict). The author shows the transformation of the Kerbs’ behavior and attitude. First, the young man tries to communicate with locals to tell them about the war, but “in time, he retreats into near silence” (Gale 5). He starts reading a book about the war and learns new facts. The author describes how the war changed his perception:
He did not want any consequences ever again. He wanted to live alone without consequences. Besides he did not really need a girl. The army had taught him that. It was all right to pose as though you had to have a girl. Nearly everybody did that. But it wasn’t true. You did not need a girl. (Hemingway 3).
In the end, he decides to leave his home and find a new place to avoid further confrontation with his mother.
In literary fiction, the reader looks for details (Neugebauer). The author does not openly describe Kerbs’ emotions, so the reader has to comprehend it through the memories of various battles Kerbs fought in. The depression the hero suffers is one of the main reasons for his views. However, the author only implies these details, and the task to form a big picture falls to the reader.
Literary fiction is created for art (Neugebauer). This work shows the unique style of the author. He eliminates symbolism and imagery from the story to make it more objective and impartial. However, the author adds small details which imply a big message. For example, the hint of conformism in America before the war may be seen when he mentions that all students of the Methodist school wear the same collars. The author tries to remove excessive complexity without compromising the artistic value of the work.
Conclusion
The main characteristic distinguishing commercial and literary fiction from each other is the aim of the novel. This aspect determines the entirety of the work. Soldier’s Home aimed to pass on some ideas using literary devices. The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky was created mainly for entertainment. Concise definitions of these categories are necessary to help readers to meet their expectations. While some people prefer simplicity, others need profound discourse. Therefore, publishers need to label novels in order to help readers choose the right book.
Works Cited
Crane, Stephen. The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky. Dramatists Play Service, Inc., 1970.
Gale, Cengage Learning. A Study Guide for Ernest Hemingway’s” Soldier’s Home”. Gale, Cengage Learning, 2016.
Hemingway, Ernest. Soldier’s Home. Learning in Focus, 1976.
“Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and Other Stories Summary and Analysis of “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky” GradeSaver, n.d. Web.
Benedict, Carol. “What Do They Mean: Commercial Fiction and Literary Fiction?”The Writing Place, 2009. Web.
Neugebauer, Annie. “The Differences Between Commercial and Literary Fiction”Annie Neugebauer, 2014. Web.
Allen, Moira. “What Is Literary Fiction? Literary Editors Share Their Views” Writing-World.com, n.d. Web.
Sinkhorn, S.E. “Literary vs Commercial Fiction” maybe genius. 2012. Web.