EL 112 – Contemporary, Popular, Emergent Literature
literature written after World War II
Fatima Cadacio BSE English – 2A
1. What is Literature?
 Literature, a body of written works.
The name has traditionally been
applied to those imaginative works of
poetry and prose distinguished by
the intentions of their authors and
the perceived aesthetic excellence of
their execution. Literature may be
classified according to a variety of
systems, including language, national
origin, historical period, genre, and
subject matter.
 Definitions of the word literature
tend to be circular. The 11th edition
of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate
Dictionary considers literature to be
“writings having excellence of form
or expression and expressing ideas of
permanent or universal interest.”
The 19th-century critic Walter Pater
referred to “the matter of
imaginative or artistic literature” as a
“transcript, not of mere fact, but of
fact in its infinitely varied forms.” But
such definitions assume that the
reader already knows what literature
is. And indeed its central meaning, at
least, is clear enough. Deriving from
the Latin littera, “a letter of the
alphabet,” literature is first and
foremost humankind’s entire body of
writing; after that it is the body of
writing belonging to a given language
or people; then it is individual pieces
of writing.
2. What is Contemporary Literature?
 The word contemporary means
living, belonging to or occurring in
the present. So when we talk about
contemporary literature, we are
talking about literature that is being
written in the now about the now.
But what does the now encompass?
 Contemporary literature is defined as
through the current day. While this is
a vague definition, there is not a
clear-cut explanation of this concept
-- only interpretation by scholars and
academics. While there is some
disagreement, most agree that
contemporary literature is writing
completed after 1940.
 Works of contemporary literature
reflect a society's social and/or
political viewpoints, shown through
realistic characters, connections to
current events and socioeconomic
messages. The writers are looking for
trends that illuminate societal
strengths and weaknesses to remind
society of lessons they should learn
and questions they should ask. So
when we think of contemporary
literature, we cannot simply look at a
few themes or settings. Since society
changes over time, so do the content
and messages of this writing.
 When we talk about contemporary
literature and the start date of this
label, we have to acknowledge World
War II and the surrounding events.
The horrors of the war, including
bombs, ground wars, genocide and
corruption, are the pathways to this
type of literature. It is from these
real-life themes that we find the
beginning of a new period of writing.
3. What is Popular Literature?
 Popular literature includes those
writings intended for the masses and
those that find favour with large
audiences. It can be distinguished
from artistic literature in that it is
designed primarily to entertain.
Popular literature, unlike high
literature, generally 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.
 The boundary between artistic and
popular literature is murky, with
much traffic between the two
categories according to current
public preference and later critical
evaluation. While he was alive
William Shakespeare could be
thought of as a writer of popular
literature, but he is now regarded as
a creator of artistic literature. Indeed,
the main, though not invariable,
method of defining a work as
belonging to popular literature is
whether it is ephemeral, that is,
losing its appeal and significance with
the passage of time.
 The most important genre in popular
literature is and always has been the
romance, extending as it does from
the Middle Ages to the present. The
most common type of romance
describes the obstacles encountered
by two people (usually young)
engaged in a forbidden love. Another
common genre is that of fantasy, or
science fiction. Novels set in the
western frontier of the United States
in the 19th century, and called
westerns, are also popular. Finally,
the detective story or murder
mystery is a widely read form of
popular literature. Popular literature
has also come to include such genres
as comic books and cartoon strips.
4. What is Emergent Literature?
5. Reasons, why we study literature?
 Literature is one way for us to hear
the voices of the past and work with
the present. It is a way for the
present to connect to the possible
future. Story telling is one way for
humans to reach out to other
humans. It is therapy, confession,
entertainment, and knowledge all in
one. Why do we study it?
 We learn about history we didn't
experience, customs we are not
familiar with or that lead to what we
do and perform now, hear voices of
men, women, children, dragons,
elves, slaves, aliens, and other
characters in order to spark
imagination.
 We learn to think outside the literal
box by reading. It forces your mind
to picture places and experiences
and activates our gestalt thinking,
which is crucial next to just spitting
back information.
 We can also relate to a character, real
or fictional, that may have or is going
through an experience like us. Or
who is going through an experience
that we would like to have. Or
through an experience we would like
to avoid.
6. Qualities of good literature? Spiritual value
and Intellectual value.
“5 Essential Qualities of Good Literature”
 Literature should have a theme
When coming up with any literary work, it’s
very essential to have a theme because this is
what gives your writing direction. From start
to finish, your work should be linked to the
overall theme meaning that whatever
different issues you choose to address
through your work must all contribute
towards the broad theme.
 It should explain the relevance of the
theme
 As a writer, you are essentially like an artist
looking to share your worldview with your
audience therefore as you select a theme
that you will go with, you must also creatively
let the audience know what the relevance of
the theme is to them. At the end of the day,
audiences will only appreciate literary works
that have some relevance to their day to day
lives.
 Literature should have a compelling
idea
The only way to keep your readers or
listeners glued to your literature is if it
communicates a compelling idea that your
audience can relate to. It doesn’t matter if the
piece of literature is a work of fiction or
reality, it’s the idea it’s communicating that
will compel your audience to keep reading or
listening as they keenly anticipate knowing
what the conclusion is.
contemporary-literature-definition-writing-
style.html. Accessed 18 Jan. 2020.
"Popular Literature" The Editors of Encyclopaedia
Britannica https://www.britannica.com/art/popular-
art#ref5876. Accessed 18 Jan. 2020.
"Why Do We Need To Study Literature" eNotes
Editorial, 4 Feb. 2015,
https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/why-do-
we-need-study-literature-391039. Accessed 18 Jan.
2020.
"5 Essential Qualities of Good Literature" Colin
Wilson, 28 Oct. 2018,
https://www.colinwilsonworld.co.uk/5-essential-
qualities-of-good-literature/. Accessed 18 Jan. 2020.

Literature should have good style and

grammar
Your audience will stay glued to your literary
works if it has a good sense of style and
grammar. It’s however very important as you
incorporate these features, you have a clear
understanding of who your audience is. You
don’t what to lose your audience through
using too complex or too simple language.

 Literature should sound genuine

Regardless of whether you are writing fiction
or reality, there’s a certain level of
genuineness that needs to be felt in your
literary works. You must therefore ensure
that your characters are not too exaggerated
and the theme you are writing about is
plausible.

References:
"Literature" Kenneth Rexroth,
https://www.britannica.com/art/literature. Accessed
18 Jan. 2020.
"Contemporary Literature" Jennifer Carnevale,
https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-