what is contemporary literature

definition/characteristics/genre
 Ahmad JavedFebruary 9, 2023

0 7,470

Contemporary literature
The literature contemporary or contemporary movement includes all literary events
that have occurred since the posmodernidad. It is defined by a period but also by its
very particular style. Most scholars call all literary production after World War II, in
the 1940s, contemporary literature. what is contemporary literature definition
This period extends to the present day. Contemporary literature is characterized by
fragmentation, unreliable storytellers, pastiche (imitation of styles and authors),
changing narration, non-linear presentation, and play and uncertainty in language.
Similarly, this literature is recognized for its historically postmodern content. This is
related to the era of computers, robotics, mobile phones, globalization, among
others. Now, some work or some writer could be considered contemporary if they
share current stylistic, artistic or thematic qualities .
Under this concept, even some writers of other centuries seem contemporary. Much
of contemporary literature comes from Western authors, although the term is not
exclusive to European or American literatures.
In fact, globalization has made it possible to appreciate contemporary works written
by many literary figures in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In addition to novels and
poetry, this literary style encompasses a wide variety of genres, such as traditional
fiction and other forms adapted to the new reality ( graphic novel or blog literature).
Source
1940 to 1990
In the course of this half century, humanity witnessed many changes. The end
of World War II, the fall of communism in Europe, and the end of the Cold War
marked the beginning of a new society.
In addition, technological innovations such as cell phones and the Internet, color
televisions and digital discs (DVD), among others, emerged. It was also the era of new
music, like hip hop, and the acceptance of new cultures.
Within all this wave of changes, literature was enriched with new genres. Many of
these were a response to technological changes and the new social reality.
A feature of contemporary literature of this time was that many stories were based on
reality and had a credible plot. During the first two decades,
contemporary literature shared spaces with Modernism, preserving certain features
such as, for example, focusing on the characters rather than the plot.
In its further development until the 1990s, the contemporary shifted towards the
description of harsh realities. Likewise, he focused his attention on the exposure of
psychological problems such as exclusion and loneliness.
1990 to the present
The period from the 1990s to the year 2000 was characterized by globalization,
growing concern about global warming, and the war on Islamic terrorism.
Furthermore, it is a decade marked by wars, natural disasters and a growing
population. The biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression, the 2008
recession, also occurred, and many people lost their jobs.
Thus, contemporary literature received all these influences and fed on all these new
contexts. In response to the communicational needs of society, new genres appeared.
The cyberpunk , the postcyberpunk , new fantasy novels and return to the meter and
rhyme in poetry are indicative of the new time.
Characteristics of contemporary literature
Personal point of view
Works of contemporary literature reflect the social and political views of their
authors. These are shown through the characters, the connections with the events and
the socio-economic messages of his works.
Innovative narrative resources
There is a break with previous narrative techniques. Contemporary literature uses
avant-garde narrative resources, such as the modification of time and the
presentation of the inner world of the characters. what is contemporary literature definition
Magical realism
The development of magical realism as a narrative technique represents a
breakthrough in contemporary 20th century literature. This revolutionary technique is
marked by a deep social and political character.
Pressing topics
Most of the topics in contemporary literature are related to the crippling problems of
the world today, such as globalization, race and gender, inequality, climate and
environment, wars and terrorism.
Likewise, in this extensive list you can find other topics, such as politics and
economics, ethics and morals, mass culture and the media, international crime and
others.
Influence of World War II
Contemporary works of literature tend to be influenced by the prosperous lifestyle
that followed World War II. This literary style has its roots in the devastation that war
brought to the world.
Fiction and non-fiction superimposed
In contemporary literature the distinction between fiction and nonfiction can be
blurred; This is known as crosses. Fiction writers base stories on real life events and
can even include authentic material.
On the other hand, nonfiction writers bring historical figures to life by incorporating
imaginary dialogue and scenes.
Genders
Classic fiction genre
This genre is made up of stories, novels, plays, poems, and movies. Everything is
imaginary and invented, but it is presented as a mirror that reflects life and human
experience, in a concrete or abstract way.
Now, the first way to distinguish contemporary fiction is that it will have universal
truths and emotions that every human being can experience. In some way, it gives
expression to emotions.
Similarly, fiction in contemporary literature is realistic, which means that it has the
following characteristics:
– Contains characters that behave the way most readers would. The characters must
be credible.
– The story is set in the present.
– The environment is a real place, or at least it looks like a real place.
– Events are events that could happen in real life.
– The dialogue is informal and conversational, and often includes regional dialects.
Ghostwriter literature
A surprising number of successful books are written by ghostwriters. But there are
also ghost novels.
By definition, these authors do not have names and are known only to their peers and
their dependent publishers.
Graphic novels
The graphic novel is usually interpreted as a comic with a long narrative for a mature
audience, published in hardcover or paperback and sold in bookstores, with serious
literary themes and sophisticated works of art. what is contemporary literature definition
Children’s literature
The last 20 years have seen a flowering of children’s writing. Among the top
representatives of this literature are CS Lewis ( Chronicles of Narnia ) and JK Rowling
( Harry Potter ).
Science fiction
Science fiction is a very popular branch of contemporary literature. This is intertwined
with the technological progress of the world.
However, science fiction literary works do not necessarily imply a solid scientific
foundation. A writer can create a science fiction literary work to express an alternative
point of view or concept.
Blog Literature
Blogs (online magazine of individual or joint authorship) have become a new medium
for creating literary works. There are even cases in which these creations have been
turned into books.

Origin
From 1940 to 1990
In the course of this half century, mankind witnessed numerous changes. The end
of World War II, the fall of communism in Europe and the end of the Cold War
marked the beginning of a new society.

In addition, technological innovations emerged, such as cell phones and the

Internet, color televisions and digital discs (DVD), among others. It was also the era
of new music, like hip hop, and the acceptance of new cultures.

Within this whole wave of changes, literature was enriched with new genres. Many
of these were a response to technological changes and the new social reality.

A feature of contemporary literature of this time was that many stories were based
on reality and had a credible plot. During the first two decades, contemporary
literature shared spaces with Modernism, retaining certain features such as, for
example, focusing on the characters rather than the plot.

In its later development until the 1990s, the contemporary changed to the
description of hard realities. Likewise, he focused his attention on the exposure of
psychological problems such as exclusion and loneliness.

From 1990 to the present

The period from the 1990s to the year 2000 was characterized by globalization,
growing concern about global warming and the war against Islamic terrorism.

In addition, it is a decade marked by wars, natural disasters and a growing

population. The biggest economic crisis also occurred since the Great Depression,
the 2008 recession, and many people lost their jobs.

Thus, contemporary literature received all these influences and was nourished by
all these new contexts. In response to the communicational needs of society, new
genres appeared.

He cyberpunk  , he postcyberpunk  , the new fantasy novels and the return to the
metric and the rhyme in poetry are the indicative of the new time.

characteristics
Personal point of view
The works of contemporary literature reflect the social and political views of their
authors. These are shown through the characters, the connections with the events
and the socio-economic messages of their works.

Innovative narrative resources

There is a break with previous narrative techniques. Contemporary literature uses
avant-garde narrative resources, such as the modification of time and the
presentation of the inner world of the characters.

Magical realism
The development of magical realism as a narrative technique represents a
breakthrough in 20th century contemporary literature. This revolutionary
technique is marked by a deep social and political character.

The pressing issues

Most of the themes of contemporary literature are related to the overwhelming
problems of the world now, such as globalization, race and gender, inequality,
climate and environment, wars and terrorism.

Likewise, in this extensive list you can find other topics, such as politics and
economics, ethics and morals, mass culture and media, international crime and
others.

Influence of World War II

The works of contemporary literature tend to be influenced by the prosperous
lifestyle that followed World War II. This literary style has its roots in the devastation
that war brought to the world.

Fiction and non-fiction superimposed

In contemporary literature the distinction between fiction and nonfiction can be
blurred; This is known as crosses. Fiction writers base stories on real-life events and
may even include authentic material.

On the other hand, nonfiction writers make historical figures come alive by
incorporating dialogues and imaginary scenes.
Genders
Classic fiction genre
This genre is made up of stories, novels, plays, poems and films. Everything is
imaginary and invented, but it is presented as a mirror that reflects life and human
experience, in a concrete or abstract way.

Now, the first way to distinguish contemporary fiction is that it will have universal
truths and emotions that every human being can experience. In some way, it gives
expression to emotions.

Similarly, fiction in contemporary literature is realistic, which means that it has the
following characteristics:

- Contains characters that behave in the way that most readers would. The
characters must be credible.

- The story is set in the present.

- The environment is a real place, or at least it seems a real place.

- Events are events that could happen in real life.

- Dialogue is informal and conversational, and often includes regional dialects.

Literature of ghost writers

A surprising number of successful books are written by ghost writers. But there are
also ghost novels.

By definition, these authors have no names and only their peers and the publishers
who depend on them know them.

Graphic novels
The graphic novel is usually interpreted as a cartoon with a long narrative for a
mature audience, published in hardcover or rustic and sold in bookstores, with
serious literary themes and sophisticated works of art.
Literature for children
The last 20 years have seen a flowering of writing for children. Among the top
representatives of this literature are C. S. Lewis ( Chronicles of Narnia  ) and J. K.
Rowling ( Harry Potter  ).

Science fiction
Science fiction is a very popular branch in contemporary literature. This is
intertwined with the technological progress of the world.

However, literary works of science fiction do not necessarily imply a solid scientific
basis. A writer can create a science fiction literary work to express an alternative
point of view or concept.

Blog literature
Blogs (online magazine of individual or joint authorship) have become a new means
to create literary works. There are even cases in which these creations have
become books.