ENG ED 211: REVIEWER

Literature - any written work or anybody of written works

● comes from the Latin word litaritura/litteratura which means “writing formed
with letters”
● includes spoken and sung texts.
● oral traditions such as folk tales, epics, folk songs and folk poetry (like riddles,
epigrams, chants, etc.) are also considered as literature
● can be classified into many systems. It can be fiction or non-fiction, prose or
poetry, audio-visual or textual.
● distinguished according to major forms such as novel, sonnet or comedy; or to
a variety of systems like language, national origin, historical period, genre,
and subject matter.

CONTEMPORARY, POPULAR AND EMERGENT LITERATURE DEFINED

Contemporary literature - describes a particular style and quality of writing.
● broad branch of literary classification covering both popular and emergent
literatures.
● an umbrella term covering popular and emergent literatures.
● a vast group of written works produced during the Second World War until the
present time.
● Although much of contemporary literature comes from Western authors, it is
not limited to only English or American literature.
● can apply to written works from anywhere in the world.
● globalization opened the door to include contemporary works written by many
literary figures in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.
● include a variety of topics such as African-American literature, post-colonial
literature, and Latin literature.
Popular literature
● writings intended for the masses and those that find favor with large
audiences.
● distinguished from artistic literature in that it is designed primarily to entertain.
● does not seek a high degree of formal beauty or subtlety and is not intended
to endure.
● The growth of popular literature has paralleled the spread of literacy through
education and has been facilitated by technological developments in printing.
 ● With the Industrial Revolution, works of literature, which were previously
produced for consumption by small, well-educated elites, became accessible
to large sections and even majorities of the members of a population.
● most common genre in popular literature are romance, fantasy, or science
fiction and the detective story or murder mystery.
● include such genres as comic books and cartoon strips, and, quite recently,
graphic illustrations and eBooks.
● no longer limited to the printed media but now includes radio, television,
movies, and other digital platforms in the internet.

Emergent literature
● sub-genres of contemporary literature that highlights specific psychological,
political, cultural or social issues.
● Recent romance stories tend to magnify same sex relationships (LGBT+) or
romance between teenagers who both have social or racial problems (Young
Adult or YA).
● Dramatic stories can highlight the pains and struggles of growing up in foreign
countries (regional stories) or even of growing up in different generations
(coming-of-age stories).
● introduced new forms such as the prose poetry (a very deep, emotional
expression written in prose form) or the more common spoken word poetry.
● Another new form is the flash fiction which is characteristically short story of
about 1,500 words or less. Extreme examples of flash fiction are six-word
stories.
● favors the use of digital media for production and dissemination.
● Novels can be made available through eBooks (electronic copy of a book that
is also published in printed form) or digital version (web- or app-based stories
for tablets or smartphones).
● Even popular songs can be available through digital version (iTunes, Spotify,
etc.). Even the social media has played an important part in popularizing
literature, proof that media is a powerful tool for information, communication
and entertainment.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
● considered contemporary literature because it was originally published in
1997 which puts the date to after World War II
● also considered popular literature because of its availability for public
consumption, both the book and movie versions.
 ● considered an emergent literature because it highlights the coming-of-age
story of the main characters laced with issues of bullying and social
discrimination.

COMMON GENRE IN CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE

Action Fiction
● includes spy novels, adventure stories, tales of terror and intrigue ("cloak and
dagger") and mysteries.
● utilizes suspense, the tension that is built up when the reader wishes to know
how the conflict between the protagonist and antagonist is going to be
resolved or what the solution to the puzzle of a thriller is.
Crime Fiction
● Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police
novel –
● narratives that center on criminal acts and especially on the investigation of a
serious crime, generally a murder.
● has multiple sub-genres, including detective fiction (such as the whodunit),
court room drama, hard-boiled fiction, and legal thrillers.
● focuses on crime investigation and does not feature the courtroom.
● Suspense and mystery are key elements that are nearly dominant to the
genre.

Fantasy
● speculative fiction stories with imaginary characters set in imaginary
universes.
● inspired by mythology and folklore and often include elements of magic.
● distinguished from the genres of science fiction and horror by the absence of
scientific or macabre themes respectively, though these genres overlap.
● In popular culture, the fantasy genre predominantly features settings of a
medieval nature.
● These stories deal with kingdoms as opposed to sci-fi, which deals with
universes.
Gothic - largely known by the subgenre of gothic horror
● genre or mode of literature and film that combines fiction and horror, death,
and at times romance.
 ● tends to place emphasis on both emotion and a pleasurable kind of terror.
● The most common of these "pleasures" among Gothic readers was the
sublime—an indescribable feeling that "takes us beyond ourselves."
● The name Gothic, which originally referred to the Goths, and then came to
mean "German", refers to the Gothic architecture of the medieval era of
European history, in which many of these stories take place.
Historical - take place in the past.
● Written with a careful balance of research and creativity, they transport
readers to another time and place—which can be real, imagined, or a
combination of both
● tell stories that involve actual historical figures or historical events within
historical settings.
● Historical Romance is a sub-genre that involves a conflicted love
relationship in a factual historical setting.
Horror - creates an eerie and frightening atmosphere
● genre of speculative fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust.
● frequently supernatural, though it might also be non-supernatural.
● central menace of a work of horror fiction can be interpreted as a metaphor for
the larger fears of a society.
Literary Fiction - works with artistic value and literary merit.
● include political criticism, social commentary, and reflections on humanity.
● character-driven, as opposed to being plot-driven, follow a character’s inner
story.
Romance - centers around love stories between two people.
● characterized by sensual tension, desire, and idealism; they also are
lighthearted, optimistic, and have an emotionally satisfying ending.
● contain conflict, but it doesn’t overshadow the romantic relationship, which
always prevails in the end.
● many sub-genres, including paranormal, historical, contemporary, category,
fantasy, and Gothic.
Science Fiction – have imagined elements that don’t exist in the real world
● incorporates any story set in the future, the past, or other dimensions
● features scientific ideas and advanced technological concepts.
● inspired by “hard” natural sciences like physics, chemistry, and astronomy;
others are inspired by “soft” social sciences like psychology, anthropology,
 and sociology. It has been called the “literature of ideas", and often explores
the potential consequences of scientific, social, and technological innovations.
● criticize present-day society, and is often said to inspire a "sense of wonder".
Suspense Thriller - involves pursuit and escape
● filled with cliffhangers and there are one or more ‘dark’ characters that the
protagonist must escape from, fight against, or best in the story.
● The threats to the protagonist can be physical or psychological, or both.
● The setting is integral to the plot.
● seldom include comedic elements, but what they lack in humor, they make up
for in suspense
● keep readers on their toes and use plot twists, red herrings, and cliffhangers
to keep them guessing until the end.

CHARACTERISTICS OF CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE

1. Characteristic Theme
● Pressing social and political issues often appear as themes in contemporary
literature.
● Unlike post-modern literature that seemed to be more interesting in itself,
contemporary texts address reality head-on. Issues such as globalization,
race and gender, inequality, climate and environment, international crime, war
and terrorism, politics and economy, ethics and morals, mass culture and
media, immigration, technology, change and the speed of change, the future,
fragmentation, urbanization, individualism, risks, people struggling to find
meaning in a world that does not offer any assurance, among others, are
common themes in contemporary literature.
2. Genre, form and composition
● Contemporary texts combine facts and fiction to come up with a realistic
composition.
● Writers of fiction base stories on real life events and may even include
authentic material.
● Writers of non-fiction, on the other hand, make historical figures come alive by
incorporating imagined dialogue and scenes.
● Contemporary writers also experiment with how to express their ideas, and
they rely less on traditional narrative forms or genres.
● Varieties of style range from an SMS novel, a sarcastic detective thriller, an
article or a romantic poem.
 ● Contemporary writers often let the uncertainty and fluidity of the now be
reflected in the composition of their texts.
● Thus, they will prefer opening their texts in medias res, leave gaps in the
narrative for the reader to fill in, and open endings.

3. Setting
● Contemporary literature is set firmly set in the contemporary age, in a near
future, or an immediate past.
● The contemporary setting in time is emphasized or made explicit in order to
give the readers a sense of immediacy and relevance.
● As to place, modern writing has become increasingly global; it crosses and
mixes national traditions and cultures, and is translated into multiple
languages to be read in multiple countries.
● Put optimistically, new global writing will teach us about each other's different
hopes and fears, and our "we" will be infinitely enlarged.
4. Narrator and point of view
● The contemporary writer knows the importance of the narrator and point of
view; of how the concept of truth changes with the shift in narration or point of
view.
● The way one sees things in a way today may be very well seen by another
differently tomorrow; and that individual perspectives are not only "individual"
but also shaped by one’s national and cultural and social backgrounds.
● The contemporary writer uses quite a few first-person narratives with
narrators whose reliability is doubtful.
● Alternatively, a text may have more than one narrator telling the same story,
or the same story may be told from shifting points of view. Additionally, the
writer may stress the narrator's peculiarity in order to play with the reader’s
perception of reality.
5. Characters - mirror the world around them.
● many characters seem insecure, self-contradictory, in perpetual development,
at a loss, searching for something, in short trying to come to terms with an
ever-changing, fluid late modernity.
● Through their characters, contemporary writers are able to explore how the
individual both reflects and tackles society, and what their fears, hopes and
dreams might be.
 ● For the readers, it might be easier to identify with a volatile person who is
constantly searching for meaning and identity instead of one that has already
reached their goal. It might also be confusing and frustrating.
6. Language
● In literature, writers use language to bring to life the kind of lives, people and
(social) environments they want to portray.
● uses words, punctuation, dialects etc. to set a scene.
● What is more characteristic of contemporary literature is how the relationship
between language and reality is understood and how that understanding is
used.
● uses different varieties of language in new ways to represent different
realities.