“The difference between mainstream fiction and literature is what their writers do with words; the former places its emphasis on the story rather than the language used to tell that story; in literature, the language is the story; that is, the story is primarily a vehicle for a linguistic display of the writer's rhetorical abilities.” LiteratureMainstream Fiction Book:The Novel: An Alternative History: Beginnings to 1600 Source: The Novel: An Alternative History: Beginnings to 1600