21st Century Literature: Analysis & Themes

• Critical analysis involves carefully examining and evaluating a text, image, or performance.
• Close reading is a deep analysis of a literary text, which can be both a reading process and an element of a literary analysis paper.
• It involves gathering as much information as possible to form questions.

Literature in the 21st Century

• Contemporary writers draw inspiration from previous writers.
• Many modern works address past events, movements, and literature to understand the present.

Major Events of the 21st Century

• The 9/11 bombing involved the destruction of the twin towers by the al-Qaeda group in the Middle East.
• This led to discrimination against Muslim people.
• There has been a significant advancement of technology.
• The rise of Sci-Fi (Science Fiction) is a major trend.

Themes in Literature in the 21st Century

• Identity is explored through the intersections of cultures and discussions of women's rights and LGBT rights.
• Cultural diversity, mental health issues, and anti-heroes are also significant themes.

Representative Texts & Authors

• Sam Clay in "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" by Michael Chabon explores homosexuality.
• "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali addresses the rights of abused Muslim women.

History & Memory

• Explores multiple truths and acknowledges that history is filtered through human perspective.
• "The March" by E.L. Doctorow references a famous march during the US Civil War.

Technology

• Explores how experiences are filtered through technology.
• "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline depicts a futuristic world through virtual utopia.

Intertextuality

• Recognizes the interconnectedness of literary works throughout history.
• Writers include acknowledgements, references, or parallels to other works purposefully.
• Intertextual themes can highlight a work's lack of originality or clichés.

Representative Texts & Authors (Asia)

• In "Serious Men" by Manu Joseph, Ayyan Mani, a Dalit, pretends his son is a genius.
• "The Changeling" by Kenzaburo Oe shows symbols of suicide and involves a filmmaker and a novelist.

Representative Texts & Authors (North America)

• "It Is Important To Be Something" by Joshua Jennifer Espinoza discusses the acceptance of a transwoman.
• "Twin Study" by Stacey Richter explores bad parenting and forgotten children.
• "This is America" by Donald Glover addresses gun violence and discrimination in the U.S.

Representative Texts & Authors (Europe)

• "Machines Like Me" by Ian McEwan presents a love triangle involving an android.
• "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell focuses on reincarnation and combines different genres.
• "The History Boys" by Alan Bennett is about students preparing for Oxford and Cambridge entrance exams.

Africa (Dark Continent)

• AIDS/HIV originated from monkeys.
• The name "Africa" comes from the Latin word 'aprica' and the Greek word 'aphrike'.
• Africa has great diversity of biological and mineral resources.

African Literary Texts and Authors

• "Poems, 'My Black is Beautiful (Woman)' and 'My Black is Beautiful (Man)'" were written by Naomi Johnson.

Facts About Africa

• The Sahara is the largest desert.
• The Nile is the longest river.
• Over 1,500 languages are spoken including Arabic and Swahili.
• Tallest animals are found here.

Apartheid

• It was a system that separated white and black people.
• Apartheid was abolished in 1993.

Famous Africans

• Nelson Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was the first black president of South Africa (1994-1999).
• Desmond Tutu was the first black bishop.

Chinua Achebe

• "Things Fall Apart" talks about imperialism and colonialism.

Zimbabwe

• It was formerly Southern Rhodesia (1911-1964).
• Charles Mungoshi's work features a farming family in the Chivhu area.

Dominican Republic

• It is featured in "In the Name of Salome" by Julia Alvarez.
• The population is of Spanish and African descent.
• Sports include basketball and baseball.
• It's a major producer of cacao, cocoa, chocolate, and tobacco.
• Popular languages are Spanish, English, and Portuguese
• Its capital city is Santo Domingo.
• Its colonized by Spain, France and USA

Caribbean

• Also known as the West Indies.

History

• The Taino were the early people of the Dominican Republic, who contributed words like barbecue, canoe, potato, and tobacco.
• Spain originally colonized it and named Santo Domingo as its capital.
• Later, France controlled it, and it was split into Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
• The USA, under Theodore Roosevelt, introduced baseball.

Rafael Trujillo

• He was a dictator involved in the Parsley Massacre (1973).

Julia Alvarez

• Her father was involved in overthrowing Trujillo.

In the Name of Salome

• The characters include Camilla Ureña Henriquez, Marion, Salome Ureña, Francisco Henriquez, and Aunt Ramona.

Themes

• Identity: Explores women's empowerment, inner struggles, family, and self-discovery.
• History and Memory: Revolves around war, oppression, and the concept of homeland.