Scribd
Upload
765 views2 pages

Literature in The 21st Century

The document discusses the changing nature of literature in the 21st century. It notes that while traditional literary forms like novels and plays have struggled to adapt to new technology, other forms like blogs and social media have emerged as new ways to publish written works. Literature continues to grapple with representing human experiences in an era of rapid technological change and globalization. Major themes in 21st century literature reflect issues like terrorism, clashes between civilizations, and the fragmentation of culture and identity. Overall, the document examines how literature is navigating a digital age while still exploring fundamental human topics.

Uploaded by

jhomalyn
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
765 views2 pages

Literature in The 21st Century

The document discusses the changing nature of literature in the 21st century. It notes that while traditional literary forms like novels and plays have struggled to adapt to new technology, other forms like blogs and social media have emerged as new ways to publish written works. Literature continues to grapple with representing human experiences in an era of rapid technological change and globalization. Major themes in 21st century literature reflect issues like terrorism, clashes between civilizations, and the fragmentation of culture and identity. Overall, the document examines how literature is navigating a digital age while still exploring fundamental human topics.

Uploaded by

jhomalyn
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Literature in the 21st Century

Why do we study Literature? Educators and past and present students of Literature tell
us what the subject means to them and how it can continue to enrich the lives of
students in the 21st century.
Literature seems to be a subject that both befuddles and captivates students. There are usually
no “right” or “best” answers. But at the same time, some students credit it for inspiring them and
opening up their minds to new worlds and perspectives.

21st-Century Literature from the Philippines and the World facilitates the understanding and
analysis of literary texts in various genres across cultures. Its overall goal is to help learners
gain an increased appreciation of literature from the 21st century and ultimately to inspire
them to view the world in a different light—a world where differences are set aside and
traditions of the past coexist in harmony with values of the present.

Literature in the 21st Century


The crossroads of literature.

What do we talk about when we talk about literature? In the modern parlance, the term is
associated with its academic context, referring to the enduring works of fiction, philosophy,
history, etc. that have been studied for generations and shaped the foundations of our thought.
Yet literature by its definition includes any and all written works, a fact that has never been more
relevant than in our current Internet age, when the written word is more accessible and
democratic than ever before.

The “death of print” has been much heralded over the past decade, precipitated by the rising
accessibility of devices like tablets and smartphones that have made the electronic medium
cheaper and more universal. Book sales, as well as magazine and newspaper subscriptions, have
diminished, but our appetite for information has grown larger and more impetuous.

Major journalistic sources, which have always thrived off a mixture of concision and theatrics,
have adapted to this shift. Twitter has created something of its own literary form, offering the use
of hash tags to help convey a message within 160 characters. Blogs have afforded both
individual writers and organizations, established or not, the opportunity of free publication. The
hyper-textual nature of the Internet, aided by now ubiquitous social media, helps keep discussion
flowing both around the world and around the clock. Online forums, which once belonged to a
niche of dedicated computer enthusiasts, have been incorporated by most major news sites.

More “traditional” forms of literature, including novels, plays, and poetry, have been less
successful in conforming to new technology. Various forms of “electronic literature,” including
hypertext (interactive fiction), animated poetry, and even SMS (text-message) fiction have
grown yet still exist within a small niche.
The dynamics commanded by the continuous change of technological progress, the incredible
rate of advancement and the rapid shift of values which run pari passu with it, have kinesis as
their key characteristic: a circulation of information and people where almost everything is
dissolvable and dispensable.

But we have lost the optimism of the unifying potential of this kinesis. It has altered any notions
of romanticism. Such a literary exercise is seen most in how authors have dealt with a post-9/11
world. Terrorism, clash and binding factors between civilizations or populist and cheap criticism
have dominated these early years of the 21st century.

Science fiction, therefore, has been rising in all its glory. This is because the dialectic between
the world and the materiality of language which “describes” it centers its attention on the
multiple fragmentation of a cultural “I”. The actant and his metamorphoses, in parallel with
technological advancement, become a decanted discourse. It fights against its obsolescence by
swapping our economic and social fabric with the unfamiliar. This destiny has actually been
weaved since the 1950s.

The rise of science fiction is not disconnected from what the Theatre of the Absurd had already
implemented. Entangled between the boundaries of modernism and post-modernism, Camus’s
concept of Absurd, Beckett and Ionesco, among others, depart from the promises of a better man,
his axiomatic language, and run through existential discourses on his failure and consequent
world view. Kerouac’s “Beat Generation”, along with William S. Burroughs, dealt precisely with
the roots of this fragmentation.

Therefore, although literature has to change with society, authors are still trying to address
immutable human questions in new ways and reconcile them with the ever-changing technology
that surrounds us.

You might also like