Contemporary+Period-+3rd

=Contemporary Period = Through the lens of...

=Tim O'Brien = "T he thoughts of Plato and Machiavelli... don't seem quite enough armor for a world beset with splitting the atoms, urban guerrillas, nineteen varieties of psychotherapists, amplified guitars, napalm, computers, astronauts, and an atmosphere polluted simultaneously with auto exhaust and TV commercials." -John Fischer "Fiction is a lie tha t helps us understand the truth" - Tim O'Brien

=//What is the Contemporary Period?//=


 * Events of the contemporary period are relevant to today.
 * This period begins with the start of the Cold War and the end of World War II.
 * Political, social, and religious effects of this period are still being felt in the world today.

=//Major Historical Events of the Contemporary Period//= During the Contemporary Period, which extends to today, many events have occurred that make this period significant. As noted earlier, it is important to know that this period in time began with the start of the Cold War which began in the 1940s. This period also, then, envelopes World War II. During World War II, the League of Nations, a precursor to the present day UN, was set up in order to deal with global problems. After these major events, a technological shift occurred. The shifts in technology led to a wider capability in weapons and an advancement in society. From the Vietnam War and on, technology played and still plays a major role in the world of the Contemporary Period. As of the twenty-first century and the world today, also known as the information era, technology defines the world and the Contemporary Period. Another interesting point of the Contemporary Period is the fact that many religious groups have risen today in an effort to spread the gospel of their faith. In America, the freedom to worship is a common right regularly performed within the states. It is because of this political enforcement of religion that all faiths are given equal rights within America.

=//A Historical Context of the Contemporary Period//=
 * Society:** Before defining what the American Contemporary society is, it is important to know what society itself is. A society is a group of interacting people that live by similar rules and conditions within a period of time. The contemporary society is one that consists of a modern group of people who follow a common direction in life. The gender roles within society today have been defined as time within the Contemporary Period has progressed. Today, it is common for men to play the role as breadwinner within the family, however, the role of women as the center of the family has increased almost exponentially. The female role in society has greatly increased within this period of interest than in the other periods put together. Women have contributed to most of the major successes of the contemporary world. On the other hand, the male role within the contemporary society has remained the same.Because the power of the male has waned in recent years, the role of the male and female within this contemporary time period has almost reached a point of balance. It is clear that either gender today has equal status within the society. Other aspects of this society would include the increasing dependency of the society on technology. Through the use of computers and modern technology, the daily lives of people have been altered dramatically.

**Political Dealings:** It is the current political time that corresponds the most with the Contemporary Period. However, it is important to understand that the political days of the 1940s to the 1990s also correspond with the Contemporary Period. During World War II, politics of the contemporary period largely focused on the idea of war and how to combat it. The politicians of the day were mostly graded on their ability to persuade the constituency about the effectiveness of their ideas on how to go about dealing with the World War. Following World War II, America was primarily concerned with the Cold War and the nuclear arms race against Russia. During these years, many third party wars were fought. As a result of this, there was never any legitimate combat between the two nations. Also in the time period, the American Civil Rights Movement altered public life in the United States greatly. Today's political issues in America mostly surround potential terrorist attacks and the idea of a collapsing economy. Since the September 11th attacks on the United States by Islamic extremists, the West has declared wars on Middle East countries, encompassing much of the past years of politics. The current state of status in America is of a world power, however, it is possible that Asian powers, most likely China, could attain this status in addition to the United States in the near future.


 * Faith and Philosophical Ideas:** In modern America, faith is a very important concept amongst all classes of citizens. Differing from America in the past, the Contemporary Period consists of many different types of religions. Due to religious freedom, American citizens are free to practice the religion of their choosing. The freedom of practice of any religion has made the basis of faith very strong within Contemporary America. Since no one is forced to believe in a particular religious ideal, rather a choice of what one prefers to believe in is made, the decision to believe is strong. The rise of philosophical ideas is another growing trend in contemporary America. The teachings of many philosophical thinkers are currently being followed by the generation of the Contemporary Period.

=//History of the Contemporary Period in Relation to her Literary Prose//= As the Contemporary Period has progressed, the literary prose of this time period has progressed alongside it. Beginning in the 1940s, contemporary literature included many works on World War II. After the World War II era, the literature of the Contemporary Period began to utilize the activities of the Cold War as inspiration towards novels and short stories, which are considered by many as pulp fiction. Most of the literature during the Cold War era focused on the American society since this was a time in which America was trying to identify itself in the global world. After the Cold War, a shift in technology occurred. The new developed process of writing, editing, and publication has created excess of this pulp fiction, with novels written for publication rather than personal journals or other forms. Well known authors dominate the shelves of libraries and bookstores, many of which concerning fantasies, such as J.K. Rowling. The literature has accompanied this shift, thus creating many new works of literature that use the new ideas of technology. In recent years, contemporary literature has sought to include ideas from high technological innovations and thoughts on this new "information age" in order to progress contemporary literature.

=//Through the Critical Lens of Notable Contemporary Authors//= There are numerous authors that have succeeded in promoting their ideas through their prose in Contemporary Literature. The Following is a list of a small fraction of these great authors:
 * Philip Roth:** Noted as one of the best contemporary authors alive, Roth wrote about the American-Jewish perspective. He wrote to broaden the crowd of contemporary literature to encompass a great many American readers.
 * Toni Morrison:** She wrote about African American literature and was a trailblazer in the idea of African American feminism.
 * Isabel Allende:** Allende broadened the scope of American contemporary literature by including a realistic Chilean viewpoint to her prose. This sparked the idea of globalism within American contemporary prose.
 * Steven King:** A prominent horror-fiction writer, King objects his audience to the most modern and contemporary fears of everyday life. King utilizes the most obvious fears of the contemporary world to scare his readers.
 * JD Salinger:** A prominent writer during the Cold War era, Salinger wrote about the society of contemporary America and its identification within the modern world.
 * JK Rowling:** Internationally-renowned British author of the //Harry Potter// series that were later based on for the blockbuster hits. Rowling has become the wealthiest author ever, making billions of the novels. Follows a standard archetype of a fantasy children-themed novel to theater film.

=An Interview with Tim O'Brien= //A: Mr. O'Brien, why do you think that students these days should study contemporary literature? A: Writers these days are just as good as they have ever been. In fact, I believe that students these days may benefit more from studying recent literature than from studying literature written many years ago. Contemporary literature is more relevant to life today as it is inspired from events that have occurred in our life times. The connection between contemporary authors and the readers of this age is much stronger than the connection between readers today and authors of many years ago. However much we can learn from history and older works of literature (and we can learn a lot), they can never compete with the relevancy of today's literature.

Q: What personal experiences or events have shaped your writing style? A: I served in the military from 1968 through 1970. I was an infantry foot soldier in Vietnam. This is what most of my work has been based on. I have written many stories about the war and how it affected the troops. War is tough and it changes a man. I want to communicate many of my emotions and many of my characters' emotions with my readers, and get across my personal feelings concerning the nature of warfare.// 

 ** Quotes: ** "Today the world changes so quickly that in growing up we take leave not just of youth but of the world we were young in." ~Peter Medawar

"We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons." ~Alfred E. Newman

"Food. Water. Shelter. Air. Sleep. Societal inflation has expanded need into greed. Suddenly the basic survival needs also include a cell phone, cable TV, and French manicured fingernails.... We've become the absolute biggest whiners of all human history with the absolute smallest justification for whining." ~Charlie Diekatze

"Junk mail, junk food, our society is full of junk living, period." ~Carrie Latet

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//Helpful Links-Furthering the Knowledge of Contemporary Literature//
http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/bassr/heath/syllabuild/iguide/contemp.html http://library.apsu.edu/inform/21CLC.htm http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-literary-criticism http://contemporarylit.about.com/ http://www.conknet.com/~fullerlibrary/ReadersAdvisory/A%20GUIDE%20TO%20LITERARY%20FICTION.htm

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