Literary Novel's Cultural Prestige Challenged in Contemporary Analysis

Evan Brier argues in the LA Review of Books that the literary novel no longer holds the exclusive cultural prestige it once commanded during the mid-20th century. While still considered a marker of elite status, its former dominance has been fragmented by other cultural forms. The analysis examines the period from 1965 to 1999, exploring shifts in the cultural economy that have redistributed prestige across different artistic domains.