Literary fiction is a term that is used to distinguish serious works of literature from popular written pieces.
Stories that fall under this category are said to hold literary merit and are more focused when it comes to the style of storytelling, the depth of characterization and the beauty of the story as a whole.
Popular literature on the other hand, is more focused towards the story and the plot in order for it to be become more riveting to the reader.
Popular written works are also known as commercial fiction because they are aimed at generating money for the publisher.
Although the term may overlap into other genres since it is very subjective, most critics and people agree that there are certain qualities to a written piece for it to qualify as a literary fiction or literary novel.
Literary award giving bodies usually concern themselves with literary fiction so reading a short list of such an award would give a better idea of what comprises a literary work of fiction.
Taking these into consideration some of the most beloved works of literature may not fall into the category.
The style and vein into which they are written takes them into the category of commercial works of fiction.
This just shows that classifying a written work is very a subjective matter and it usually depends on the judgment of those classifying it whether to say that it is a work of any literary merit or not.
Some works in the past which most intellectuals regard as the greatest works of fiction seem like meaningless ramblings and sometimes even a senseless jumble of words, yet it has garnered intellectual attention.
What is important is whether a work of fiction can bring entertainment and impart a moral lesson to those who would read it.