Overview
This lecture covered the key genres of 21st century literature, the importance of literary context, and how modern forms differ from earlier genres, ending with instructions for a student activity.
Recap: 21st Century Literary Genres
- 21st century literature genres include graphic novels, comic books, and illustrated novels, each with unique structures.
- Graphic novels are narratives with illustrations, similar in length and depth to novels but told visually.
- Comic books present serialized stories in image panels with speech bubbles and verbal fillers.
- Illustrated novels tell stories primarily through images, sometimes without any text.
- Flash fiction delivers complete stories in very few words (often under 1,000), focusing on brevity and emotional impact.
- Speculative fiction covers imaginative themes like future technology, time travel, and alternate history.
- Subgenres: science fiction (aliens, robots), fantasy (mythology, fairy tales), supernatural, space opera, urban fantasy, dystopian, apocalyptic, post-apocalyptic, alternate history, superhero fiction.
Digital and Contemporary Genres
- Digi-fiction combines text, images, and navigation, requiring media literacy to fully experience the story.
- Text-talk novels simulate social media or SMS dialogues as narrative forms.
- Doodle fiction integrates handwritten notes and illustrations into the writing.
- Blogs (weblogs) present opinions, experiences, or interests online in a literary form.
- Chick literature focuses on modern womanhood, relationships, and empowerment in a humorous or lighthearted way.
- Creative non-fiction uses literary styles and techniques to tell true stories about real people/events.
Understanding Literary Context
- Context means the circumstances or setting in which a story occurs, helping explain characters’ actions and events.
- Historical context relates to the time period and cultural events surrounding the text.
- Physical context is the environment or location affecting character behavior.
- Cultural context involves beliefs, customs, and traditions depicted in literature.
- Situational context is based on the specific events or situations within the story.
- Writers use context to add clarity and prevent miscommunication; readers use it to deepen understanding.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Flash Fiction — a very short story, typically under 1,000 words.
- Graphic Novel — a long-form fictional work presented primarily with illustrations.
- Speculative Fiction — fiction with imaginative, fantastical, or futuristic elements.
- Digi-Fiction — literature merging text, images, and digital navigation.
- Context — the circumstances that help explain meaning in a text.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Take a picture of yourself with a book or literary text you’ve read.
- Identify its elements, structure, tradition, and context in a caption or short answer.
- Tune in next week for a discussion on literary approaches.