The relationship between character identity and character action is an established topic of literary study. In Morphology of the Folktale, Vladimir Propp argues against the separation of “who acts” from “the question of the actions themselves,” instead advocating an approach that studies characters according to their functions.

Is “literary fiction” a useful genre label in the post-World War II United States? In some sense, the answer is obviously yes; there are sections marked “literary fiction” on Amazon, in bookstores, and on Goodreads, all of which contain many postwar and contemporary titles. Much of what is taught in contemporary fiction classes also falls under the heading of literary fiction, even if that label isn’t alwaysused explicitly.

Food is a core element of culture, whose link with identity and socio-economicclass has made it an important area of cultural research. In his groundbreaking study, Pierre Bourdieu noted that “oppositions similar in structure to those foundin cultural practices also appear in eating habits.”