Modernfictional
Modernfictional is a term used in literary criticism and digital humanities to describe a mode of contemporary narrative that foregrounds the conditions and aesthetics of late modern and postmodern life. The term is not universally standardized; it appears in discussions about how fiction reflects rapid technological change, social media, and global connectivity, as well as shifts in publishing and readership. Characteristics commonly associated with modernfictional works include metafictional self-awareness, intertextuality, non-linear or disrupted chronology, genre blending, and a heightened sensitivity to media form. Plots may incorporate fragments, unreliable narrators, or multiple point-of-view strands, and language often experiments with voice, typography, or digital communication styles. Themes frequently center on alienation, identity in a networked culture, surveillance and data, consumer culture, and the tension between authenticity and simulation. Critics sometimes view modernfictional as a continuation of postmodern strategies adapted to 21st-century contexts, while others see it as a distinct impulse that negotiates the presence of algorithmic structures, online communities, and global crises.
Origin and usage: The expression emerged in late 2000s and 2010s academic discourse, without a fixed canon.