CONTEMPORARY

From the 1950s onward to present day, we find ourselves in the Contemporary Era of literature. As the name implies, this type of literature centers around current world issues, viewpoints, and realistic characters. Writing styles here become much easier to read (for the most part) and become more experimental with genre. It's in the Contemporary Era where genres arguably diverged. Sci-fi, romance, paranormal, realistic, YA, and mystery all began to occupy the same era at the same time.

 

In this era, we find a lot of breakthroughs in the world of literature: more diverse authors and more diverse stories. With that diversity comes various different prominent themes in contemporary literature. We love us some good redemption arcs for a questionable character, we devour coming of age stories, and nearly every story centers on the moral complex issue of good versus evil. Unsuprisingly with a more diverse cast of authors and a world coming to terms with equality and empowerment, contemporary literature often also finds a way to focus on oppression.