Course paper analysis of Apocalyptic Novel genre in literary activity of Stefan King basing on his novel "The Stand"

2.AMERICAN LITERATURE IN THE XXI CENTURY

The 21st century in literature refers to world literature produced during the 21st century. The measure of years is, for the purpose of this article, literature written from (roughly) the year 2001 to the present.

2001 – The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen; Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand; Life of Pi by Yann Martel;
Nobel Prize: VidiadharSurajprasad Naipaul
2002 – Atonement by Ian McEwan; Middlesex (novel) by Jeffrey Eugenides; Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan SafranFoer;
Nobel Prize: ImreKertész
2003 – The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown; Roman Triptych (Meditation);
Nobel Prize: J. M. Coetzee
2004 – Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig;
Nobel Prize: ElfriedeJelinek
2005 – Nobel Prize: Harold Pinter
2006 – The Road by Cormac McCarthy; Les Bienveillantes by Jonathan Littell; Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon;
Nobel Prize: OrhanPamuk
2007 – The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by JunotDíaz; A Thousand Splendid Suns by KhaledHosseini; On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan;
Nobel Prize: Doris Lessing
2008 – 2666: A Novel by Roberto Bolaño; Feuchtgebiete by Charlotte Roche;
Nobel Prize: J. M. G. Le Clézio
2009 – The Humbling by Philip Roth; Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel;
Literature of the 20th century refers to world literature produced during the 20th century (1901 to 2000).
In terms of the Euro-American tradition, the main periods are captured in the bipartite division, Modernist literature and Postmodern literature, flowering from roughly 1900 to 1940 and 1960 to 1990[1] respectively, divided, as a rule of thumb, by World War II. The somewhat malleable term "contemporary literature" is usually applied with a post-1960 cut off point.
Although these terms (modern, contemporary and postmodern) are most applicable to Western literary history, the rise of the globalization has allowed European literary ideas to spread into non-Western cultures fairly rapidly, so that Asian and African literatures can be included into these divisions with only minor qualifications.
And in some ways, such as in Postcolonial literature, writers from non-Western cultures were on the forefront of literary development.
Technological advances during the 20th century allowed cheaper production of books, resulting in a significant rise in production of popular literature and trivial literature, comparable to the similar developments in music. The division of "popular literature" and "high literature" in the 20th century is by no means absolute, and various genres such as detectives or science fiction fluctuate between the two. Largely ignored by mainstream literary criticism for the most of the century, these genres developed their own establishments and critical awards; these include the Nebula Award (since 1965), the British Fantasy Award (since 1971) or the Mythopoeic Awards (since 1971).
Towards the end of the 20th century, electronic literature developed due to the development of hypertext and later the World Wide Web.
The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded annually throughout the century (with the exception of 1914, 1918, 1935 and 1940–1943), the first laureate (1901) being Sully Prudhoe. The New York Times Best Seller list has been published since 1942.
The best-selling literary works of the 20th century are estimated to be The Lord of the Rings (1954/55, 150 million copies), Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince, 1943, 140 million copies), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997, 120 million copies) and And Then There Were None (1939, 115 million copies).
The Lord of the Rings was also voted "boo⁴k of the century" in various surveys. Perry Rhoda (1961 to present) proclaimed as the best-selling book series, with a estimated total of 1 billion copies sold.
The Fin de siècle movement of the Belle Époque persisted into the 20th century, but was brutally cut short with the outbreak of World War I (an effect depicted e.g. in Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain, published 1924). The Dada movement of 1916-1920 was at least in part a protest against the bourgeois nationalist and colonialist interests which many Dadaists believed were the root cause of the war; the movement heralded the Surrealism movement of the 1920s.
Why do we study Literature? Educators and past and present students of Literature tell us what the subject means to them and how it can continue to enrich the lives of students in the 21st century.
Literature seems to be a subject that both befuddles and captivates students. There are usually no “right” or “best” answers. But at the same time, some students credit it for inspiring them and opening up their minds to new worlds and perspectives.
We ask several educators and students of Literature, including Professor Tommy Koh, Singapore’s Ambassador-At-Large, to share with us their personal experiences with Literature and why it remains relevant to students to this day.
The importance of literature in a 21st century world
You can probably guess, but here at Costar Content, we all love to write. So it makes sense then that we also love to read. Well, at least one of us does...
Literature is a timeless piece of entertainment. As the innovations of technological advancements have grown, the way we read has revolutionized and evolved. However, the essence of storytelling and the effect it has on our lives hasn’t wavered.
Literature reflects human nature and a way we can learn and relate to others. By reading through a first-person perspective, we can fully immerse ourselves into a different mindset and figure out how others think and feel. This is important within today’s society as we’re becoming increasingly detached from human interaction through iPhones, FaceTime, and social media. Literature is something that will never change in the way it makes you feel, regardless of whether that’s on paper or as an eBook.
Sparks empathy and understanding
Reading a book is one of the best ways to fully immerse your mind into another person’s dialogue and experiences. Being able to empathise and understand other people’s feelings is a key aspect of helping you connect to different regions, races, societies, and periods of time. They help a person take a closer look at the different facets of living aside from what they know and live which can change perspectives.
Learn about past lives
History plays a fundamental role in shaping literature, every novel, play, or poem you read has been influenced by political context, or a time period, or a relationship from the time it was written.
Not forgetting the pure history of literature itself with the first novel being penned in 2000 BC - The Epic of Gilgamesh. Being able to read first-hand something from so long ago is a major aspect of learning the lives of historical figures and times. ⁵
Reading can take us into different realms and see other people’s creative thought processes. Whether it’s flying into Nederland, wandering through Middle Earth, battling at Hogwarts, or rafting through the Mississippi River with Huck and Jim - books can take you anywhere and any place. This is an amazing tool that few entertainment mediums can truly give you and one of the reasons why literature is so beautiful. Whether you’re having a bad day, stressed out with work, dealing with new life decisions - books can help you escape into another world and live somewhere else for a short amount of time.
Novels provide knowledge, entertainment, encourage creativity and offer an escape for readers - enriching our lives in more ways than one. It’s definitely much more than words in a book, and even with the increasing popularity of eBooks, Kindles, Wattpad, and online reading they create a conversation, a unique world, and new perspectives.