Secondly, you could say that contemporary literature makes use of new and/or "fashionable" literary styles or techniques. So, for example, you could say that Mark Haddon's 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' is contemporary literature, since its structure, down to the very framework of the book - i.e. the chapter numbers - is integral to the plot (the main character has Asperger's syndrome and is a mathematical genius; the chapters are numbered in prime numbers). Of course, you could also call it 'contemporary' due to the fact that it's set now and features the 'contemporary' issue of Asperger's syndrome.