Any thoughts/ideas/definitions about this topic would be welcome.
Please don't point me to books; I have a deadline of January 14th.
Just interested in what your thoughts and experience has been with "working class fiction."
--What does the category denote?
-- Is it a useful category? How?
[WS:] It is a bit murky, because it conflates three very different concepts:
- a literary genre created by professional writers that features working class protagonists (usually in positive roles);
- a literary genre (or a class of literary works) created by writers of the working class background;
- a class of literary works (whether coherently defined or not) whose common characteristic is particular appeal to working class readers.
I am not a big fan of defining literary genres by the type of protagonists they feature - it smacks of cheap didacticism or outright propaganda (c.f. Christian fiction.) In some cases this can be of course justified (cf. children's literature or literature used as a political weapon for a just cause) - but generally it confuses good literature with trash.
As to the literary works created by writers with the working class background - it encompasses a wide range of genres and styles that have little in common. I do not see any analytical usefulness of such a hodge-podge concept.
Finally, regarding the class of literary works appealing to the working class - this is equally hodge-podge and confusing. My impression is that this class would contain pretty trashy stuff, such as NASCAR or football narratives for working class men, and kitschy romances for working class women - for the most part. I do not know many people who have been impressed by the literary tastes of the working class, save for a few propagandist hacks from the bygone era of socialist realism.
In sum, I do not find this concept very useful. I'd rater prefer 'socialist literature' to denote literary works reflecting socialist viewpoints, ethics, and aesthetic qualities (if there is such a thing.)
Wojtek