Literary movements

Dada

Touted by it's proponents as anti-art, dada focused on going against artistic norms and conventions.

Noteable authors: Georges Bataille

Magical Realism

Literary movement where magical elements appear in otherwise realistic circumstances. Most often associated with the Latin American literary boom of the twentieth century.

Noteable authors: Gabriel García Márquez

Modernism

Movement abandoning traditional aesthetics in favor of stressing order, progress and scientific advancement.

Noteable authors: T.S. Eliot

Postmodernism

Rejects the idea of privleged points of view from which Truth can be discovered, the idea of scientific progress, the notion of language as a perfect tool in describing ultimate reality, and global systems of thought. It embraces diversity, irony, and word play.

Noteable authors: Jorge Luis Borges

Realism

Concerned with facts and reality, rejected impractical or visionary writings, especially fantasy and mythology. Also avoided linguistic experimentation believing that a simpler writing style would draw less attention to the prose and tell the story more clearly.

Noteable authors: Honoré de Balzac, George Eliot, Leo Tolstoy, John Steinbeck

Romanticism

Emphasized emotion and imagination, rather than logic and scientific thought. Sought to be passionate rather than rational or calmly reflective.

Noteable authors: Victor Hugo, Charles Dickens