21ST Lesson

21st century literature
all literary works written and published at the latter

part of the 21st century (from 2001 onwards). These
works are often characterized as gender sensitive,
technologically alluding, culturally pluralistic,
operates on the extreme reality or extreme fiction, and
questions conventions and supposedly absolute norms.
biographical context
same as authorial context. Biographical context places a

particular literary work within the context of the author’s life.
Consider the circumstances under which the literary work was
written.
While exploring biographical context, useful sources include

biographies of the author, autobiographies or memoirs by the
author or by people who knew him or her, and critical works
that give close attention to the author’s life.
blog
blog
a web log: a website containing short articles

called posts that are changed regularly.
Some blogs are written by one person

containing their own opinions, interests and
experiences, while others are written by
many different people.
chick lit
genre fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often
humorously and light-heartedly.
The genre became popular in the late 1990s, with chick lit titles topping
best seller lists and the creation of imprints devoted entirely to chick lit.
Although it sometimes includes romantic elements, chick lit is generally

not considered a direct subcategory of the romance novel genre, because
the heroine's relationship with her family or friends is often just as
important as her romantic relationships.
close
close analysis
synonymous to close reading.
• It fosters an advanced understanding and

interpretation of a literary passage that is focused
primarily on the words themselves.
• It looks at details within the text in order to identify
larger, overarching themes.
• Some things to look for are word choice (diction),
structure, imagery, syntax, literary devices, context,
tone, strange or surprising statements, and rhythm
(mostly in poetry).
context
anything beyond the specific words of a literary work that

may be relevant to understanding the meaning.
• Contexts may be economic, social, cultural, historical,

literary, biographical, etc. (e.g. the political context of
the rule of Elizabeth and James, the religious context
of Calivinism, the social context of homosexual
relations and cross-dressing and the literary context of
Renaissance literature, for example, all have
significant implications for understanding the words of
Shakespeare)
creative nonfiction
also known as literary nonfiction or narrative nonfiction, is
a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques
to create factually accurate narratives.
• Creative nonfiction contrasts with other nonfiction,

such as technical writing or journalism, which is also
rooted in accurate fact, but is not primarily written in
service to its craft. As a genre, creative nonfiction is still
relatively young, and is only beginning to be scrutinized
with the same critical analysis given to fiction and
poetry.
critical interpretation
a critical explanation of the meaning of a literary

work.
It involves analysis of its elements, especially the

theme. When applied to poetry, interpretation may
also be called "explication." The most familiar
example of interpretation is literary criticism.
critical paper
a composition that offers an analysis, interpretation, and/or evaluation of a text.
Usually intended for an academic audience, a critical paper often takes the form of
an argument.
According to Robert DiYanni, when you write about a literary work, you will often
attempt to convince others that what you see and say about it makes sense. In doing
so, you will be arguing for the validity of your way of seeing, not necessarily to the
exclusion of all other ways, but to demonstrate that your understanding of the work
is reasonable and valuable. Since your readers will respond as much to how you
support your arguments as to your ideas themselves, you will need to concentrate on
providing evidence for your ideas. Most often this evidence will come in the form of
textual support--details of action, dialogue, imagery, description, language, and
structure. Additional evidence may come from secondary sources, from the comments
of experienced readers whose observations and interpretations may influence and
support your own thinking.
figures of speech
• also known as figurative language, it creates figures (pictures) in the mind of
the reader or listener.
• These pictures help convey the meaning faster and more vividly than words
alone. We use figures of speech in "figurative language" to add colour and
interest, and to awaken the imagination.
• Figurative language is everywhere, from classical works like Shakespeare or
the Bible, to everyday speech, pop music and television commercials. It
makes the reader or listener use their imagination and understand much
more than the plain words.
• Figurative language is the opposite of literal language. Literal language

means exactly what is says.
• Figurative language means something different to (and usually more than)

what it says on the surface.
flash fiction
• a style of fictional literature or fiction of extreme

brevity
• There is no widely accepted definition of the length of

the category.
• Some self-described markets for flash fiction impose
caps as low as three hundred words, while others
consider stories as long as a thousand words to be
flash fiction.
hyperpoetry
• a form of digital poetry that uses links using hypertext mark-up.

• It is a very visual form, and is related to hypertext fiction and visual
arts.
• The links mean that a hypertext poem has no set order, the poem
moving or being generated in response to the links that the
reader/user chooses.
• It can either involve set words, phrases, lines, etc. that are
presented in variable order but sit on the page much as traditional
poetry does, or it can contain parts of the poem that move and / or
mutate. It is usually found online, though CD-ROM and diskette
versions exist. The earliest examples date to no later than the mid
1980s.
HYPERPOETRY WORKS ON THE WEB
Following are links to web poetry that illustrate types of HP. Some are
to individual works, while others are to lists of works. Most
hyperpoems can be read directly from the web. A few require
macromedia flash, quick-time viewer, or another reader, which
generally can be downloaded free from that webpage.
All Fall Down by Y.H. Chang

http://www.yhchang.com/ALL_FALL_DOWN.html
Raindrops by William Harris

http://community.middlebury.edu/~harris/Hyper-Poetry/raindrops.html
linguistic context
discourse that surrounds a language unit and helps to

determine its interpretation.
literary elements
• refers to particular identifiable characteristics of a whole text .
• They represent the elements of storytelling which are common to all literary
and narrative forms.
• For example, every story has a theme, every story has a setting, every story
has a conflict, every story is written from a particular point-of-view, etc.
• In order to be discussed legitimately as part of a textual analysis, literary

elements must be specifically identified for that particular text.
literary genre
• a category of literary composition.
• Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone,

content, or even (as in the case of fiction) length.
• The distinctions between genres and categories are

flexible and loosely defined, often with subgroups.
 The most general genres in literature are (in loose
chronological order) epic, tragedy, comedy, and creative
nonfiction.
 They can all be in the form of prose or poetry. Additionally, a
genre such as satire, allegory or pastoral might appear in
any of the above, not only as a sub-genre, but as a mixture of
genres.
 Finally, they are defined by the general cultural movement
of the historical period in which they were composed.
 Genre should not be confused with age categories, by which
literature may be classified as either adult, young-adult, or
children's. They also must not be confused with format, such
as graphic novel or picture book
literary history
• the historical development of writings in prose or poetry

which attempts to provide entertainment, enlightenment,
or instruction to the reader/hearer/observer, as well as the
development of the literary techniques used in the
communication of these pieces.
literary techniques
• refers to any specific, deliberate constructions or choices of language

which an author uses to convey meaning in a particular way.
• An author’s use of a literary technique usually occurs with a single

word or phrase, or a particular group of words or phrases, at one single
point in a text. Unlike literary elements, literary techniques are not
necessarily present in every text; they represent deliberate, conscious
choices by individual authors.
literary traditions
• it is a collection of works that have an underlying interconnectedness and
coherence that makes them more than simply a group of works sharing
geography or group.
• Irish poetry and drama, for example, extend over several centuries,
involving writers with a range of voices and preoccupations; and yet it is
often thought that they are distinctively "Irish." This means that you can
have someone who doesn't come from Ireland, perhaps doesn't even have
Irish ancestors, but they can write in the Irish.
• Literary Tradition because they will draw on the same references,

structure, mythology, focal points for cultural meanings and historical
moments.
mobile phone Text tula
• a particular example of this poem is a tanaga , a type of Filipino poem,
consisting of four lines with seven syllables each with the same rhyme at
the end of each line - that is to say a 7-7-7-7 syllabic verse, with an AABB
rhyme scheme.
• The modern tanaga still uses the 7777 syllable count, but rhymes range
from dual rhyme forms: AABB, ABAB, ABBA; to freestyle forms such as
AAAB, BAAA, or ABCD.
• Tanagas do not have titles traditionally because the tanaga should speak
for itself. However, moderns can opt to give them titles.
I’s on me
by Ryan Andrei Cruz
The influence of the past

Stilled in our identities
A part of our present selves
And whoever we will be.
national literature
• a literature that reflects the history and culture of a country,

usually created by its local writers.
• According to Rev. Harley Dewart, a national literature is an

essential element in the formation of nationalcharacter.
• It is not merely the record of a country’s mental progress; it is

the expression of its intellectual life, the bond of national
unity, and the guide of national energy.
oral history research
• a method of research where the memories of living

people about events or social conditions which they
experienced in their earlier lives are taped and
preserved as historical evidence; oral history -historical
information, usually tape-recorded or videotaped,
obtained in interviews with persons having first-hand
knowledge;
• An audiotape, videotape, or written account of such an

interview or interviews.
sociocultural context
• it is evident when literary works respond in some way to the society in
which they were written, and most often (though not always) that
response takes the form of criticism.
• Sociocultural context is about how a particular literary work depicts

society.
• Sources you might investigate include works (books and articles) of

history or sociology that talk about the strengths, weaknesses, and
changes occurring in the society during the period in which the literary
work is set, and critical works that emphasize the connection between
the society and the literary work.
speculative fiction
• an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical

fiction genres, specifically science fiction, fantasy, horror,
weird fiction, supernatural fiction, superhero fiction,
utopian and dystopian fiction, apocalyptic and post-
apocalyptic fiction, and alternate history in literature as
well as related static, motion, and virtual arts.

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21st century literature

all literary works written and published at the latter

same as authorial context. Biographical context places a

While exploring biographical context, useful sources include

a web log: a website containing short articles

Some blogs are written by one person

Although it sometimes includes romantic elements, chick lit is generally

• It fosters an advanced understanding and

anything beyond the specific words of a literary work that

• Contexts may be economic, social, cultural, historical,

• Creative nonfiction contrasts with other nonfiction,

a critical explanation of the meaning of a literary

It involves analysis of its elements, especially the

• Figurative language is the opposite of literal language. Literal language

• Figurative language means something different to (and usually more than)

• a style of fictional literature or fiction of extreme

• There is no widely accepted definition of the length of

• a form of digital poetry that uses links using hypertext mark-up.

All Fall Down by Y.H. Chang

Raindrops by William Harris

discourse that surrounds a language unit and helps to

• refers to particular identifiable characteristics of a whole text .

• In order to be discussed legitimately as part of a textual analysis, literary

• Genres may be determined by literary technique, tone,

• The distinctions between genres and categories are

• the historical development of writings in prose or poetry

• refers to any specific, deliberate constructions or choices of language

• An author’s use of a literary technique usually occurs with a single

• Literary Tradition because they will draw on the same references,

The influence of the past

• a literature that reflects the history and culture of a country,

• According to Rev. Harley Dewart, a national literature is an

• It is not merely the record of a country’s mental progress; it is

• a method of research where the memories of living

• An audiotape, videotape, or written account of such an

• Sociocultural context is about how a particular literary work depicts

• Sources you might investigate include works (books and articles) of

• an umbrella term encompassing the more fantastical

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