1. Commercial Fiction Purpose = To entertain ($$)
Escape tedium and stress of life
Like inventors or magicians -- full of tricks and surprises
Readers’ expectations:
Sympathetic hero(ine) that reader identifies with and shares triumphs
Defined plot with strong element of suspense
Happy ending
Theme affirms conventional views of the world

2. Literary Fiction
Purpose = artistic to broaden, deepen, and sharpen reader’s awareness of life
Pleasure + understanding
Illuminates some aspect of human behavior with genuine originality and power
Like explorers -- dispel illusions (“Look here at the world in all its complexity”)
Presents insight into the nature and condition of human experience
Readers’ expectations:
Expect the unexpected: style, form, theme
May challenge or change world view