contemporary literature
Writing of today
Contemporary literature refers to written works produced in the present era or recent past—roughly from the mid-20th century onward, though the boundary shifts with time.
The term distinguishes current writing from classical or historical texts: Her thesis examines themes of identity in contemporary literature.
What counts as contemporary depends on context; in academic settings, it often means post-World War II, while bookstores may use it for anything published in the last few decades.
- marginalized voicesSpeakers from excluded communities
- identityWho someone is
- coming of ageReaching adult status
- postmodernismSkepticism toward universal truths
- unreliable narratorStoryteller whose credibility wavers
global perspectives · speculative fiction · climate change · autofiction · technology · urban settings · graphic novels · minimalism · migration · social justice · mental health · trigger warnings · metafiction · dystopian fiction · political unrest · gender · intertextuality · globalization
- language learningvocabulary lists, lessons, acquisition, basic vocabulary, grammar books
- translationtranslator, free translation, French translation, interpreting, interpreter
- American LiteratureThe Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Scarlet Letter, Moby-Dick, Moby Dick
- anthologiesanthology, anthologies, collection, poetry collection, compilation
- literary periodsRenaissance, medieval, Victorian, modern, ancient
contemporary literatureclassical literature
Foundational Western texts
ancient literature · classical canon · medieval literature · Renaissance literature · Victorian literature
contemporary literaturetraditional literature
Enduring written heritage
classical forms · traditional poetry · genre fiction · oral literature · epic poetry
contemporary, literature, contemporaries, contemporaneous, contemporaneously, temporal, temporary, literary, literate