**6. What is 'marketplace' and what is 'literature'?**

Another term that requires consideration is marketplace. Related to this, the term economy often arises. First, what exactly is the marketplace to those working in higher education creative writing? A commonly held belief is that a creative writer in higher education will publish in the literary marketplace. The slippery nature of this term is recognised by Edmonds [43] when he examines ways to engage in the 'so-called' literary marketplace. According to Brier [45], who also recognises that the term is 'elusive', the literary marketplace produces literature and is the context for literature. When Brier [45] considers the term literature, he concludes that finding a definition for the term and a description of a discrete marketplace is difficult. He argues that one of the reasons the distinction arises is because of the post-World War II idea of a market economy which disseminates culture, an idea drawn from scholarly work including Bourdieu's [46] 'The field of cultural production, or: the economic world reversed' and English's [47] *The economy of prestige*. Both works position literature and cultural production in sociological accounts of marketplace and market economy at national and global levels. However, Brier [45] argues the discussion is ongoing. Bourdieu [46] offers a foundation for many theorists in creative writing, and the field also draws from the creative industries in its views of the relationship. Other theorists including the psychologist Csikszentmihalyi are considered useful in negotiating the relationship between author and audience [48, 49]. There is recognition that engaging in the commercial or mass marketplace is a struggle for those in the field of creative writing, as Sheahan-Bright [50] finds when examining children's literature. Mayers [51] refers to this contested relationship as the 'tension between "literary" and "genre fiction"' [50]. He argues that this issue has been increasing. Certainly, changes brought about by the digital marketplace must play a role in this.

Regarding practical pedagogical issues, Mayers [51] recognises that some programmes will still train MFA students for the literary marketplace to varying degrees, but he is opposed to training or producing writers for this end and argues that the aim should be 'experience-based inquiry into the act of writing' [51]. Hergenrader [52]

also recognises the limitations in the digital age of the 'literary marketplace lore' [53], along with the issue of genre to which, he argues, students are often more alert than teachers.

Creative writing scholars have used other terms to explore the relationship to the marketplace. Hecq [54] in examining the relationship between the creative writer and 'the creativity market' positions creative work produced in the field within the global knowledge-based economy. Importantly, the concerns about being publishable while working within the university are closely examined [55]. In Hecq's context of the 'creativity market', Webb [49] argues that the university can function in the same way as the Greek *agora* (a communal space for political, religious, economic, educational and social interaction) to balance marketplace and creative needs. Other terms used by the field include 'the marketplace of ideas' [56], 'cultural capital' [57] and the 'public intellectual' [36]. A more sustained discussion of the various terms is beyond the scope of this review. However, these examples demonstrate how it could be argued that the terms all represent an ongoing effort by the field to negotiate a relationship to a marketplace and a resistance to engagement with strictly commercial market outcomes.

### **7. Reasons for resistance**

There appear to be good reasons for resistance in the contemporary context that include protecting students, teachers and the boundaries of the field from the vagaries of the marketplace and other external pressures. For example, the challenges of making an income as a writer in Australia due to a small population and a lack of grant support have been demonstrated [58] and discussed [59]. The discussion points to the need for grants; but many writers are unlikely to receive such funding [59]. The capricious marketplace's influence on education and the limited amount of grants are not the only concerns. Government and political factors exert pressure on aesthetic practice [60]. There is a worry that government policy can apply unproductive influence upon academic outcomes. This useful warning is important when considering the publishing outcomes students should be prepared to achieve within the discipline and in ensuring that the terms of engagement are carefully negotiated. Perry [61] clarifies her preference for 'creative ecologies' over 'creative economy' to ensure that there is no confusion about economic imperative. To add to the complexity in this environment, over-extended educators must maintain their creative work as well as other demands [62]. Relating to and complicating this is the issue of the transient nature of being a part-time academic [63]. Another issue is that of maintaining disciplinary integrity [64]. In the US context, creative writing often seeks to differentiate itself from English literature and composition writing classes, although in many cases the development of creative writing as a field emerged from, or in relationship to, these areas [65–67]. The variable borders present challenges. As Kroll [64] argues, ongoing discussion is required 'in the context of volatile institutional and research environments as well as variable student bodies' [64].

Another example of the challenge of identifying where the boundaries lie is within the areas of creative writing and professional writing that are sometimes lumped into the one discipline. Williamson [68] argues that magazine study is an area that can bridge the gap between creative and professional if approached from a scholarly perspective, although it is a field that has traditionally been part of other disciplines. Not all would agree. Surma [69] explains the differences and warns of the danger

*Creative Writing in Higher Education: A Literature Review of the Marketplace Relationship DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.109427*

of the marketplace to professional writing, seeking to locate professional writing away from any vocational or professional orientation and closer to her perspective of the unfettered relationship of creative writing. In addition to these resistances, the purposes of creative writing education demonstrate many goals that are not directly about marketplace preparation.
