21st Century Literary Genres, Traditions and Forms from Different Cultures

 Contemporary literature

- Reflects current trends in life and culture and because these things change often,
contemporary literature changes often as well.
- Reflects author's perspective and can be cynical.
- Questions facts, historical perspectives and presents 2 contradictory arguments side by side
Contemporary literature began in the 1940s or so. A few of its qualities:
- Reality-based stories with strong characters and a believable story;
- Well-defined, realistic, highly developed characters in realistic, sometimes harsh
environments;
- Often the stories are character driven;
- The literature is ironic and reflects current political, social and personal issues;
- May reflect a personal cynicism, disillusionment and frustration;
- Facts are questioned as are historical perspectives;
- Often presents two contradictory arguments;
- The literature may reflect a growing skepticism in the existence of God as well as distrust or
lack of faith in traditional institutions

 The 2000s

- Saw a steep increase in the acceptability of literature of all types, inspired by the coming of
age of millions of people who enjoyed the work of writers of speculative fiction
- Speculative fiction - an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction genres,
specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, weird fiction, supernatural fiction, superhero
fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate
history in literature as well as related static, motion, and virtual arts. - SHS Curriculum Guide,
21st Century Literature of the Philippines and the World

 Chinese literature

- Affected by the impact of the Internet, which has become an important medium for the
dissemination of politically sensitive works.
- Resurgence of science fantasy not seen since the late Qing dynasty
- No epics of either folk or literary variety and hardly any narrative or descriptive poems that
are long by the standards of the world literature
Sinophone literature- Redefines Chinese literature as a field determined by language rather
than purely by geography
Modern Chinese poetry- Depends on end rhyme and tonal metre for its cadence and
characterized by its compactness and brevity

 Japanese literature

- Marked by a strong and intentional break with tradition and the nation-centered and group
orientation values.
- This break included:
A strong reaction against established religious, political, and social views.
- Feminism, individualism, internationalism, liberalism, and proletarian emerged during this
period
- Concerned with the subconscious.
 - New literary forms and style like:
A novel in 1st POV is written like an autobiographical confessional type of narration

 Indian Literature

- Simultaneous co-existence of the postcolonial state apparatuses with an ideology which was:
Liberal and Humanist, seen in the areas of public life like the academic scene
Realism- Outcome of the creation of a reading public which was trying to construct an identity in
the context of the anti-colonial struggles and nation-building.
- This combined liberal-reformist ideology with an affirmation of an 'Indian' cultural specificity.
- This concept however was middle-class and Hindu
The realist novel- Its focus on growth and individual freedom is transformed in the Indian context
with the economic conditions of uneven capitalism
Basis for Realism- The economic: seen the existence of capitalist exploitation
-Political; and
-Social conditions
 African literature

- Distinct influence from African current events and recent history.

- Themes:
-Post imperialism
-Cultural upheaval
-Violence
- These are topics present in previous centuries which are still very much relevant in modern
day African nations.

African poetry- This a form of protest.

- Theorists describe it as having a post colonial viewpoint, referring to: The
period after European nations tried to govern African nations
Africa's modern history- It is Influenced by neocolonialism, cultural change, and clashes between
political parties and religious ideologies
Modern African writer- Look away from the internal, individual struggle and instead shift the focus to
the: Struggles of African nations still trying to develop after gaining independence from European
imperialism
-economic struggles of the people
-divisions of classes
-and various other conflicts that modern day African nations face
 American literature

- Concerned with relationships and connections between people and emotion-provoking

storytelling is common.
The value of media in culture is changing the way this movement is perceived
- Diversity and acceptance
- Address universal themes seen through the eyes of their culture
- juxtaposition of the ordinary with magical elements
- Fantastic elements are interwoven into realistic fiction
 English Literature

- As the 21st century got underway, history remained the outstanding concern of English
literature. Although contemporary issues such as global warming and international conflicts
(especially the Second Persian Gulf War and its aftermath) received attention, writers were
still more disposed to look back.
- Although they had entered into a new millennium, writers seemed to find greater imaginative
stimulus in the past than in the present and the future.

Most Notable Literary Genres in the 21st Century

a. Poetry - It is a type of literature that conveys a thought, describes a scene or tells a story in a
concentrated, lyrical arrangement of words.
Poems can also be freeform, which follows no formal structure. It is further subdivided
into different genres, such an epic poem, narrative, romantic, dramatic, and lyric. Dramatic poetry
includes melodrama, tragedy, and comedy, while other poems includes ode, sonnet, elegy, ballad,
song, and epic.

Poetry today is usually written down but is still sometimes performed.

i. Hyperpoetry – It is a form of digital poetry that uses links using hypertext mark-up. It is a
very visual form, and is related to hypertext fiction and visual arts.

ii. Spoken word poetry – It can be described as poetry that is written to be performed.
b. Drama- It is the genre of literature with stories composed of verse or prose which is meant to be
dramatically or theatrically performed.

c. Blog - A weblog: a website containing short articles called posts that are changed regularly.
d. Creative nonfiction – it is also known as literary nonfiction or narrative nonfiction. It is a genre of
writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives.
e. Fiction- It is a literature created from the imagination, not presented as fact, though it may be
based on a true story or situation.

i. Short story – It is a brief fictional prose narrative that is shorter than a novel and that usually
deals with only a few characters.
ii. Chick-lit – It is a genre which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously
and light-heartedly.
iii. Digi-fiction – It is a triple media literature. It combines three media: book, movie/video and
internet website.

iv. Graphic novels – These are narratives in comic book formats.

v. Manga – This is a Japanese word for comics

vi. Doodle Fiction – It is a literary presentation where the author incorporates doodle writing
and drawings, and handwritten graphics in place of traditional font.

vii. Text-Talk Novels- These are stories that are told almost completely in dialogue simulating
social network exchanges.

viii. Flash fiction – This is a style of fictional literature of extreme brevity.

 ix. Six-word flash fiction – It is a flash fiction done in six words only.

x. Speculative fiction – It is an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical fiction

genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror, weird fiction, supernatural fiction,
superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, and
alternate history in literature as well as related static, motion, and virtual arts.

a. Science fiction – It is a genre dealing with imaginative concepts such as futuristic

science and technology, space travel, time travel, saster than light travel, parallel
universe and extraterrestrial life.

f. Fantasy – It is a genre that concentrates on imaginary elements (the fantastic).

g. Horror – It is a genre whose purpose is to create feelings of fear, dread, repulsion, and terror in the
audience—in other words, it develops an atmosphere of horror.