INTRODUCTION TO

C O N T E M P O R A RY A N D
P O P U L A R L I T E R AT U R E
( E N G . L I T. 7 - C O N T E M P O R A R Y, P O P U L A R
A N D E M E R G E N T L I T E R AT U R E )

Prepared by
Mr. Askin Villarias
 MODERNISM
A time period which started in the 17th century with the transition
from feudalism to capitalism. It is characterised by a scientific, secular
worldview and discourses of progress and rationalisation.
Modernism emerged around the time of the second industrial
revolution (1870-1920), which was marked by the decline of stable
social classes, the beginning of professionalism, and a sense of urban
alienation.
Individual stances towards modernity vary from author to author and
from piece to piece. It’s not unusual to encounter contradictory
attitudes within one literary piece. This very struggle for meaning or an
outright refusal of coherent meaning is very much a staple of
modernism.
 MODERNISM
Modern attitudes towards modernity weren’t straightforward.
Some aspects were celebrated; the camera, for instance, was
considered an apt metaphor of human perception – always
fragmentary and incomplete. Other aspects, such as rampant
capitalism or instrumental reason, were condemned (however,
writers were, willy-nilly, enmeshed in the emerging market
relations).
Modern writers give primacy to form. This results in
experimentalism, which breaks with 19th century realist
conventions. Modernism celebrates unreliable or even split
narrators.
 MODERNISM
Modern fiction often explores the theme of identity,
which is more fluid and unstable than in pre-modern
literature.
Modern fiction privileges interiority over exteriority, a
good example of which is the hallmark of modern
literature – the stream of consciousness.
 THE STREAM OF
C O N S C I O U S N E SS
A literary device that purports to reflect the protagonist’s
chain of thoughts without the mediation of the narrator.
EXA MP LE OF S TR EA M OF
CONSCIOUSNESS
 M E TA F I C T I O N
It draws attention to style. It’s not unusual to encounter a
modern narrator who wonders “out loud” what register or what
person is the most appropriate to tell the story. This may result in
an idiosyncratic language, which requires a great deal of
interpretative effort on the part of the reader.
Example:
“Charles was far more handsome, in fact, that this description
suggests. He was movie star  handsome, the kind of man only a
camera could do justice to. But writers, alas, do not have cameras
in their toolbox, and so these words will have to suffice.”
 EXAMPLES O F MODER N LITER ARY
PIECES

 The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, T. S. Eliot

 In The Station of the Metro, Ezra Pound

 Ulysses, James Joyce

 Heart of Darkness, James Joyce

 The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

I N T H E S T AT I O N O F T H E M E T R O
BY EZRA POUND
 POSTMODERNISM

The period after modernity. Some critics argue

it started after WW2, whereas others situate its
beginning in the 1980s or even 1990s.
It was marked by an array of social and
historical phenomena, which shaped our
contemporary world, such us advanced
capitalism, globalisation, and rapid
technological progress.
 POSTMODERNISM
Postmodern texts tend not to engage in innocent,
linear story-telling. Similarly to modern works, they
draw attention to their status as fiction and the act of
writing or reading. Unlike modernism though,
postmodern texts refers both to themselves and the
external world. Protagonists are often aware that they
are in fiction.
Whereas modernism focuses on interiority and
psychological, postmodernism recovers the
preoccupation with the external and the construction
of worlds.
 POSTMODERNISM
 Postmodernism uses pastiche, black humour, and
parody in order to contest traditional literary
conventions. Postmodernism exists in a state of
permanent paradox: parody draws strength from
conventions and subverts them at the same time.
 E XA M P L E S O F P O S T M O D E R N
L I T E R A RY P I E C E S

 Still I Rise, Maya Angelou

 Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace

 Howl, Allen Ginsberg

 The Moment The Gun Went Off, Nadine Gordimer

 A Mother in a Refugee Camp, Chinua Achebe

E XA M P L E S O F P O S T M O D E R N
POEMS
 THE RED WHEELBARROW
by WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS
so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white

chickens
 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
MODERNISM AND
POSTMODERNISM
Modernism
Adheres to Western hegemonic
values
Focus on the writer
Focus on interiority
Alienation
Unreliable narrator
Rejection of realism
Literature is self-contained
High-brow genres
Rejection of literary conventions
Metafictional
Idiosyncratic language
Postmodernism
Contests Western hegemonic values
Focus on the reader
Focus on exteriority
Collective voices
Ironic narrator
Ambivalence towards realism
Literature is open and intertextual
Mixing of high- and low-brow
genres
Parody of literary conventions
Metafictional
Simple language
 C O N T E M P O R A RY
L I T E R AT U R E
Contemporary literature is a vast group of written works
produced from a specific time in history through the current
age. This literary era defines a time period, but it also
describes a particular style and quality of writing. Some see
this period as an extension of postmodern literature, but
most refer to it as a literary era of its own.
Much of contemporary literature comes from Western
authors; however, the term is not synonymous with English
or American literature, and this literary period can apply to
written works from anywhere in the world. In fact, 
globalization opened the door to include contemporary
works written by many literary figures in the Middle East,
Africa, and Asia.
 C O N T E M P O R A RY
L I T E R AT U R E
Genres included in this literary period span a variety
of writing forms in addition to novels and poetry.
Flash fiction, short stories, slam poetry, plays,
memoirs, and autobiographies can all be included in
this category. Nonfiction is usually not classified as
literature, but this era sometimes includes works of
creative nonfiction, which tell a true story using
literary techniques.
Well-defined, realistic, and highly developed
characters are important in classifying a written work
as contemporary, and most writing in this category
 C O N T E M P O R A RY
L I T E R AT U R E

Contemporary literature features a somewhat

modern narrative, but it also contains a harsher
reality.
A new reality blossomed in the post-war mind,
and it included a personal cynicism,
disillusionment, and frustration that is common
to this literary period.
 E XA M P L E S O F N O V E L S I N
T H E C O N T E M P O R A RY P E R I O D
 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.
 POPULAR
LITERATURE
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.
GENRES OF POPULAR
FICTION
 GENRES OF POPULAR
FICTION
ROMANCE- These stories are about a romantic relationship
between two people. They are characterised by sensual tension,
desire, and idealism. The author keeps the two apart for most of
the novel, but they do eventually end up together.  There are many
sub-genres, including paranormal, historical, contemporary,
category, fantasy, and gothic.
ACTION ADVENTURE- Any story that puts the protagonist in
physical danger, characterised by thrilling near misses, and
courageous and daring feats, belongs to this genre. It is fast
paced, the tension mounting as the clock ticks.
 GENRES OF POPULAR
FICTION
SCIENCE FICTION- This genre incorporates any story set
in the future, the past, or other dimensions. The story
features scientific ideas and advanced technological
concepts.
FANTASY- These stories deal with kingdoms as opposed to
sci-fi, which deals with universes. 
SPECULATIVE FICTION- These stories are created in
worlds unlike our real world in certain important ways. This
genre usually overlaps one or more of the following: science
fiction, fantasy fiction, horror fiction, supernatural fiction,
superhero fiction, utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic
and post-apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history.
 GENRES OF POPULAR
FICTION
YOUNG ADULT (YA)- Young Adult (YA) books are written,
published, and marketed to adolescents and young adults.
The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) defines
a young adult as someone between the ages of 12 and 18, but
adults also read these books. These are generally coming-of-
age stories, and often cross into the fantasy and
science fiction genres.
NEW ADULT- New Adult (NA) books feature college, rather
than school-aged, characters and plotlines. It is the next age-
category up from YA. It explores the challenges
and uncertainties of leaving home and living independently
for the first time. Many NA books focus on sex, blurring the
 GENRES OF POPULAR
FICTION
HORROR/PARANORMAL GHOST- These are high-
pitched scary stories involving pursuit and escape. The
protagonist must overcome supernatural or demonic
beings. Occult is a sub-genre that always uses satanic-
type antagonists.
MYSTERY/CRIME- These are also known as
‘whodunits’. The central issue is a question that must
be answered, an identity revealed, a crime solved. This
novel is characterised by clues leading to rising
tension as the answer to the mystery is approached.
 G E N RE S O F P O P U L A R
FICTION
POLICE PROCEDURALS- These are mysteries that
involve a police officer or detective solving the crime.
The emphasis rests heavily on technological or forensic
aspects of police work, sorting and collecting evidence, as
well as the legal aspects of criminology.
HISTORICAL FICTION - These fictional stories take
place against factual historical backdrops.
Important historical figures are portrayed as fictional
characters.
WESTERNS- These books are specifically set in the old
American West. Plotlines include survival, romance, and
adventures with characters of the time, for example,
 G E N RE S O F P O P U L A R
FICTION
FAMILY SAGA- This genre is about on-going stories of
two or more generations of a family. Plots revolve around
things like businesses, acquisition, properties,
adventures, and family curses. By their nature, these are
primarily historical, often bringing the resolution in
contemporary settings.
WOMEN’S FICTION- These plot lines are characterised
by female characters who face challenges, difficulties,
and crises that have a direct relationship to gender. This
is inclusive of woman’s conflict with man, though not
limited to that. It can include conflict with things such as
the economy, family, society, art, politics, and religion.
 G E N RE S O F P O P U L A R
FICTION
MAGIC REALISM- Magical events are part of
ordinary life in this genre. The characters do not see
them as abnormal or unusual. They are a natural part
of the story.
LITERARY FICTION- This genre focuses on the
human condition and it is more concerned with the
inner lives of characters and themes than plot.