Literaturatemse

Literaturatemse is a neologism used in literary criticism to describe a contemporary mode of writing that foregrounds temporality and self-reflexivity by layering multiple timeframes, shifting narrative perspectives, and interruptive devices within a single work. It denotes a family of strategies rather than a single technique, united by an interest in how time is experienced, presented, and read.

The term blends references to literature with theories of tempo and temporality. While the exact coinage remains debated, it gained traction in European experimental circles in the late 2000s and 2010s, particularly among German- and Dutch-language critics and online journals that scrutinized memory, history, and immediacy in print and digital forms.

Key features commonly associated with literaturatemse include non-linear chronology, tense shifting, metafictional commentary, and deliberate interruptions of narrative flow. Authors may integrate typographical play, visual elements, or code fragments, creating cross-media textures. The reader’s role can become more active, as interpretation depends on assembling disparate temporal strands. Thematically, works often explore memory, archival impulses, and the construction of subjectivity within shifting historical frames.

Notable fictional examples of literary works described as literaturatemse include Skylines of Yesterday (2014) by L. Heller and The Moment Between Seconds (2017) by K. Noor, which are cited in criticism as typifying the approach. Critics generally acknowledge its potential to expand narrative possibility while noting that heightened temporal complexity can challenge accessibility.

See also: Postmodern literature, Metafiction, Digital literature, Narrative theory.

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