University of Southeastern Philippines B.O.

Davao City

Contemporary Literature

Submitted by: Mary Joy E. Lakibul BSED-English III Submitted to: Professor MariaEmperatriz Rabat

CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE AND CULTURE

The world is composed of beautiful creatures, the trees, the mountains, the animals and most of all the people of different ways of living or culture. We have different belief, traditions, and principles but we aim for one and for me that is to have a meaningful and fulfilling life. We are given a greater responsibility and as humans, created with intelligence, with talents or abilities can create a story or event of life. Through the creative minds of people they can make or write a beautiful and meaningful piece and in a single event of your life you can write as many stories as you can. As far as I know, there are two definitions for contemporary literature. Firstly, you could say that contemporary literature is set in the time it was written - and therefore contains contextual references to contemporary issues, events, people etc. SoTrainspotting by Irvine Welsh would be contemporary literature - written in the nineties, set in the nineties - but so would, for example, JD Salinger's 'Catcher in the Rye' - written in post-war America, set in postwar America. Secondly, you could say that contemporary literature makes use of new and/or "fashionable" literary styles or techniques. So, for example, you could say that Mark Haddon's 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' is contemporary literature, since its structure, down to the very framework of the book - i.e. the chapter numbers - is integral to the plot (the main character has Asperger's syndrome and is a mathematical genius; the chapters are numbered in prime numbers). Of course, you could also call it 'contemporary' due to the fact that it's set now and features the 'contemporary' issue of Asperger's syndrome.

Culture refers to the Ways of Life. Language which serves as the medium of expression. Arts & Sciences which are the refined forms of human expression. Thought in which people perceive, interpret, and understand the world around them. Spirituality the inner well-being of human beings, expressed through language and actions. Social activity like festivities and celebrations. Interaction the social aspects of human contact. There are faculties that promote contemporary literature and culture. These faculties aimed for one and that is to help students understand not only the means of cultural production but also the cultural production of meaning. While they profess no common methodology or object of study, they believe that contemporary studies offers something not available in other periods, the challenge of grasping the contemporaneity of the contemporary, together with the long-term transformations wrought by modernity over the course of the past few centuries. The faculty also in contemporary literature and culture teach graduate seminars in such subjects as African-American literature, experimental poetry, contemporary fiction, science fiction, cultural studies, post-colonial literature, various ethnic literatures, and scientific and medical issues viewed from literary and rhetorical perspectives. In contemporary literature we also study culture. Remember that one of the characteristics of contemporary literature is to question our ability to understand ourselves and our culture. Culture takes a larger scope in contemporary literature. This includes: Language: the oldest human institution and the most sophisticated medium of expression. Most of the contemporary literatures are using different languages. Through language the author or writer is able to express what is on his mind. Arts & Sciences: the most advanced and refined forms of human expression. Every word used by the authors or writers are carefully chosen. It adds up to the beauty of the piece. Thought: the ways in which people perceive, interpret, and understand

the world around them. There are writings that leave a satisfying feeling towards the readers. Whatever thoughts they have are still part of the effectiveness of the piece. Spirituality: the value system transmitted through generations for the inner well-being of human beings, expressed through language and actions. In every piece or writings there is always a moral lesson to be pondered. It gives a chance to the reader to express their inner feelings. Social activity: the shared pursuits within a cultural community, demonstrated in a variety of festivities and lifecelebrating events. Interaction: the social aspects of human contact, including the give-and-take of socialization, negotiation, protocol, and conventions. All of these are very important in contemporary literature. These are considered as the main ingredients of a piece or writing. There are lots of events happened generally with the setting after World War II. This was the period of development and evolution of literary creations after the period of World War II. From this period and to the early 20th century, many literary movements have been established and they have contributed their significant part to the field of literature. It publishes scholarly essays on contemporary writing in English, interviews with established and emerging authors, and reviews of recent critical books in the field (Lynn Keller). The contemporary literature is already part of our lives for it contains different events that happened before. It reminds us of the important of culture. How the author wrote those works with love and compassion even in the midst of trials and failures. It is difficult also for the part of the writers since it involves different cultures with different language, belief, traditions and principles. They need to study and know deeply what kind of culture they are dealing with. They can write anything but there are always exemptions to that especially if it looks down a certain culture. Respect is the most important attitude that one must possess.