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Comment by MrRage | Hacker News Reader

Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five is a sci-fi story that's also considered real literature. It's mostly set in the 20th century.

I don't like terms like "real literature". I would say the Foundation series despite its weaknesses is worth reading for anyone who wants to be well rounded in his/her book choices.

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I don't like the term "real literature" either. I'm using it colloquially to mean works that have some combination of the following:

* Taught by mainstream college professors

* Well received by mainstream literary critics

* Winner of a notable, mainstream literary award

* Will be found on the desk of a character in several movies to indicate the character is of above average intelligence

> Will be found on the desk of a character in several movies to indicate the character is of above average intelligence

I guess that's why I'm hesitant to use term like "real literature". I'm very picky about what I read, that is I tend to stick to books like those you described. On the other hand I don't like to appear that I read those books just so I can name drop or look smart when someone sees my bookshelf.

The term I usually hear is "literary fiction." Everything else, including sci-fi, is "genre fiction." I suspect that's not much of an improvement to your ears.

I just finished David Forrest Wallace's Infinite Jest and was surprised that is was sci-fi. DFW was such a literary golden boy, i think people don't mention that IJ was a sci-fi book to avoid belittling him. total crap, if you ask me.

There are sci-fi elements in IJ for sure. I just think IJ is too broad in scope to label it sci-fi though.

David Foster Wallace.

And another successful adaptation to film (IMHO).

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