Do you like reading Harry Potter? Or do you like the novel series «The Hunger Games» by Suzanne Collins? Then you already have contemporary literature had read. This includes namely all works after the fall of the Wall in 1989.
Joanne K. Rowling is a British writer. The first Harry Potter book «The Philosopher’s Stone» was published in 1998. In 2001 she received the German Fantasy Prize for the book «Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire».
SuzanneCollins is an American writer. In 2010 she was nominated for the German Youth Literature Prize for her work «The Panem Tributes».
Definition and background of contemporary literature
With the concept of «contemporary literature«It’s not one epoch designationbut about a temporal one framework. The naming, as a temporal framework, refers to the fact that the works can currently only be assigned to contemporary literature on the basis of the date of their creation. All other conditions, as well as the correct name of the epoch, have not yet been determined.
Definition of contemporary literature
Contemporary literature is not yet a fixed name for one epoch. Rather, it is a ambiguous termsort of a collective term for German-language literature from 1989.
To the contemporary literature count accordingly all works that after the fall of the wall in 1989 have been written. It deals with all social and political issues from this period.
In some cases literature is already becoming from 1945i.e. after the end of the Second World War, when contemporary literature designated. A further division of the epoch is also possible here:
- The period from [1945until 1967 is also known as post-war literature or rubble literature designated.
- The period from 1950 until 1989 can however as Cold War Literature or as Literature of the GDR (arrival literature/ development literature) and the FRG (New Subjectivity) to be named. the New subjectivity refers to a trend in German literature in the 1970s that was mainly devoted to private life.
- Since 1989/1990 the time of the contemporary literature and the postmodern.
A Cold War is a serious and far-reaching conflict between hostile states, in which propaganda, threats and mutual rearmament are used instead of military weapons. It spanned the period from 1947 to 1989.
Further detailed information on the literary epochs «post-war literature», «rubble literature» and «new subjectivity» can be found in the corresponding explanations.
The literary epoch of postmodern is still relative young epoch. Hence it is difficult to them temporal to be classified within German literary history. In some cases, postmodernism is set in the period between 1968 and 2000 located, in others the epoch is just beginning 1989 and ends in year 2011.
The authors of postmodern literature increasingly had the impression, that the person disoriented through the multi-layered modern world was wrong. The epoch of postmodernism is therefore not run through by a common thread or a unified guiding principle; rather, writers attempted to complexity of the world – as well as their cultural and social changes – to capture and process in their works.
That’s why they are subjects of postmodern literature as well not uniform. Because of this diversity, it is still controversial today whether postmodernism can be called an epoch at all.
Contemporary literature is characterized by diversity out. It includes the literature of the turn (after the fall of the Berlin Wall), contemporary poetry, children’s and youth literature, works of the postmodern era and pop literature.
Pop literature is one Flow of contemporary literature from 1950. Her works are mostly fragmentarystuck full credentials on secondary literature or other cultural material and focus on snapshots in the lives of young people in affluent countries. The content is often provocative and special. In addition, the consumer culture and their products and brands are almost always part of the storyline.
the contemporary literature is based on the events the company. That’s how she describes it fast change and the far-reaching cultural, technical and social changes in every detail. Mainly current topics are addressed here.
The historical background of contemporary literature
Contemporary literature begins with the fall of the Wall, which German reunification led.
After the end of Second World War became Germany of the four victorious powers (Great Britain, USA, Soviet Union and France) occupied and divided. After a merger of the territories occupied by France, the USA and Great Britain, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) founded. At the same time, in the East occupied by the Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic (GDR).
However, people in both states lived in different conditions. While the population in the Federal Republic of Germany through the economic miracle (economic boom from about 1950 to 1973) went well, the people in the East suffered under the strict regime.
Due to the poor living conditions, a flow of refugees to the FRG. To prevent this, a 155 km long wall was built on August 13, 1961. This wall became a symbol of the separation between West and East.
In 1989 it finally happened fpeaceful revolution in the DDR. Citizens stood up for their rights. Despite the strict regime, they demonstrated every Monday (Monday demonstrations). This peaceful protest put so much pressure on the government that the strict travel regulations were suspended. As a result, the Wall came down on November 9, 1989.
After that there was always drastic eventswho influenced literature. These include the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2011 in New York, the financial crisis of 2009 and the corona crisis from 2019.
Themes, tendencies and characteristics of contemporary literature
Contemporary literature is primarily concerned with current events and their actions.
To the subjects contemporary literature also includes the Digitalization.
Under the digitalization originally understood as the conversion of analogue values into digital formats. This data can then also be processed by IT. However, the term digitization is usually also associated with the digital revolution (emergence of the new media).
By simply using the new media access to literature has become possible for almost everyone and almost everywhere.
New media are electronic devices such as computers, laptops or smartphones that allow users to access the Internet.
You can find more detailed information in the corresponding statement on the subject of «New Media».
content can thus be published and disseminated more easily and quickly.
In numerous works of contemporary literature these effects and the importance of digitization are described. However, contemporary literature not only deals with current topics, but also with historical subjects as well as with memoir literature.
Other topics in contemporary literature:
- identity search
- criticism in any form: Criticism of capitalism (specific social and economic order), of society, of war, of dealing with nature and the system.
- processing of one’s own past (especially those of parents and grandparents)
- description of loverelationships and interpersonal problems.
- everyday escape
- globalization
This subjects are reflected in numerous poems the German contemporary literature contrary:
The characteristics and tendencies of contemporary literature
As already described, it is not yet possible to definitively determine which ones styles used in the literature.
The literary works can therefore mostly only be identified on the basis of the genesis or release date assigned to contemporary literature. However, there are the following distinctive ones features and tendencies:
- The contemporary literature characterizes one new era after the fall of the wall.
- The contemporary literature is diverse. Many different genres, styles and text types are used. Furthermore, there is also change between free and traditional forms and also between the individual genres.
- The authors are very adventurous. There is a playful approach to myths, motifs and forms.
- The works are easy to understand written and may also contain encrypted content. These two characteristics alternate and make it suitable for both laymenas well as for Experts | the appropriate works exist.
- The authors play along in their works opposites (antithetic).
- The works reflect the rapid changes within society.
- The works are made by the multiculturalism influenced. Example: German-Turkish literature
- The authors use this stylistic device of ironydistanced self-mockery and humour.
The stylistic device of irony is understood to mean a statement that actually means something different than what it says.
Further detailed information can be found in the relevant statement on the subject of «Irony».
- The works primarily deal with the themes memories, community and individuality.
- A central feature of contemporary literature is the Dissemination of works through digitization. Digitization has also given rise to new media such as blogs, etc.
The literary genres in contemporary literature
Of the style the factories is very differing designed. Based on that, as already described, it is accordingly not possiblethe literature of the present to identify. Contemporary literature also has no preferred literary genre (epic, lyric and drama). Instead, there is a great willingness to experiment regarding the individual genera.
In the epic it is narrative literature, like novels or short stories. In epic poetry, unlike lyric poetry and drama, there is one tellerwhich is a fictional character who describes the course of events.
lyric includes all poems and Songs. By that you mean the Poetry in verse.
Dramatic lyrics are always in context of the performance situation…