All kinds Quote by Emily Barton
![“[Michael] Chabon, who is himself a brash and playful and ebullient genre-bender, writes about how our idea of what constitutes literary fiction is a very narrow idea that, world-historically, evolved over the last sixty or seventy years or so - that until the rise of that kind of…” quote by Emily Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f18/emily-barton-18422_all-kinds_michael-chabon-who-is-himself-a-brash-an_1676238.jpg)
“[Michael] Chabon, who is himself a brash and playful and ebullient genre-bender, writes about how our idea of what constitutes literary fiction is a very narrow idea that, world-historically, evolved over the last sixty or seventy years or so - that until the rise of that kind of third-person-limited, middle-aged-white-guy-experiencing-enlightenment story as in some way the epitome of literary fiction - before that all kinds of crazy things that we would now define as belonging to genre were part of the literary canon.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: The New Yorker, “The Rise of Genre Fiction,” 2020
The quote argues that literary fiction’s definition has been historically narrow, dominated by a specific middle‑aged white male perspective, while earlier genre works were once considered literary.
In simple terms: Literary fiction was limited to a narrow viewpoint, excluding many genres.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and value diverse voices in literature.
Themes
literary canon
genre
diversity
historical perspective
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
analytical
commentary
When to use this quote
- publishing decisions
- academic curricula
- book clubs
- authorial identity
Key Concepts
canon formation
cultural hegemony
genre hybridity
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we broaden the literary canon today?
- What barriers still prevent genre works from being seen as literary?
A Different Perspective
The argument may overlook ongoing biases that still marginalize non‑mainstream authors.
![“We [me and husband ] had been learning about the Khazars, and I had read Michael Chabon's novel [Gentlemen of the Road] the year before, so all these things are kind of roiling around in my brain, and then I slipped on the ice and I broke my wrist, and it had to be surgically repaired.” quote by Emily Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e93/emily-barton-18422_books_we-me-and-husband-had-been-learning-abou_182880.jpg)
![“[Michael] Chabon is arguing in favor of what is at the same time an old-fashioned and very forward-thinking opening up - of taking off the class associations with those labels, because we grew up, or I certainly grew up, feeling that, "Oh, there's literary fiction, and beneath that, there's these…” quote by Emily Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/049/emily-barton-18422_arguing_michael-chabon-is-arguing-in-favor-of-wh_447279.jpg)
![“I'm not for it [Brookland and The Testament of Yves Gundron ], I'm not against it, I'm just interested in it and how it functions, but I think that, in some senses, in those two novels, that was difficult for people to see.” quote by Emily Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e7b/emily-barton-18422_books_i-m-not-for-it-brookland-and-the-testame_613821.jpg)
