Discussion posts are some of my favourite posts to read. New ideas get shared that way, or old ideas are revisited and given a new spin. And of course, I get to be my opinionated self as I hoist my views upon others, while pretending to be objective. Or maybe not. I do welcome alternate views and I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
The term contemporary fiction tells readers to expect stories set in modern times. Yet modernity is relative because it’s about the now and as we all know, the now today becomes yesterday tomorrow. Since that is the case, contemporary fiction gets stuck in time. At least that’s how I see it. It’s relevant today but can it remain so in the future?
References to Facebook, Twitter, texting, iPods, IM, and the likes are relatable today but who is going to remember or care to read about these things? When I read books from the 80s or 90s that mention mix tapes, walkman, gameboys and stuff, I can still keep up with a sense of nostalgia because as a kid, I still came across all these things. Throw in record players or telegrams, and I’m transported to a completely different world, a historical one. And I’m not as partial towards historical fiction. I prefer contemporary with occasional books set in the future.
When I read yet another casual reference to Facebook and looking up the profile of some schoolmate in a book I was reading recently, these questions just hit me in the face:
- What is the place of contemporary fiction?
- When does it seize to be contemporary?
- Do they cross over to be classified as historical fiction?
- What happens to all those books that don’t attain a classic status?
Also, it occurred to me that technology is one of the most blatant markers of time. If a book were to refer to Friendster, I’d be sure it’s set in the early 2000s. Dial-up and AOL would lead me to the 90s, while high-speed broadband to more recent times. Failing to include specifics like these might help a story transcend its time setting but also on to the extent that the moment a cellphone is mentioned, it can’t have been written much earlier than 2000.
Now, is that timelessness desirable? I think maybe not so much if the aim is to portray a familiar reality that is also believable. If timelessness were the aim, then shooting for contemporary would be a misplaced aim. Still, I can’t help but wonder, how long can a contemporary book stay relevant as a contemporary?
What is it about contemporary fiction that draws you in or repels you from the genre? How important is the modern setting to you? And how can today’s contemporary fiction remain relevant tomorrow?
I like contemporary fiction because they can be light or heavy, dealing with so many topics. It’s also a break from the real world in the sense that you’re just soaking up this whole new other experience. It’s a break back to simpler books.
And I think that there are some who might not like the big presence of what’s in the modern world in a book. I can’t help but think of how it would be for readers in the future. If everything was so immersed in our technology today, there’s no way that others would understand 10 years in the future.
I think it’s okay to mention the times, only if it’s not such an important aspect of the book. It’s kind of like cultural references or music references. I won’t get the ones from old times, but can get the ones about modern times. But it sucks if I read a book and this old thing is so important in the book and I just don’t understand it.
That’s a good point! I think this is why I like contemporary fiction so much. It’s very versatile and can deal with a whole range of different plots and issues.
I think old contemporary books are actually quite interesting because it shows us the psyche of people who lived in that time. But yeah, I don’t read all that many of them because it takes more effort to figure out what everything means. Well, then we have the classics. Despite being set in those times they were written in, they somehow manage to transcend time.
Totally! I can’t wait to shove a book that keeps referring to Facebook and Twitter into the hands of a kid in 20 years. See what she makes of it then. Heh.
Contemporary has always been nice to read because it is so relatable. The characters are going through what you yourself go through. If I find in contemporary a bunch of references that are from a while ago and I don’t get them at all then I most likely will not enjoy it as much.
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Em @ http://theyabookbutterfly.blogspot.com/
Hi Em! Thank you so much for deciding to follow me! :) Hope you continue to come across things that interest you on my blog!
So in your case, you read contemporary precisely because it is set in the present, such that you can relate better?