Introduction to the special issue: The Century at 25

The Century at 25 brings together a range of reflections on contemporary literature and literary studies at the quarter mark of the 21st century. This short introduction outlines the scope and organisation of our special issue, which has two strands: one concerned with crisis and chronology, and the other with (informational) technocultures. Connecting these strands is the concept of ‘stuckness’, explored centrally in our contribution: ‘Stuck on Stuckness: On the Intractability of the Present’. This introduction also contextualises the special issue in two ways. First, it reflects on itsplace within the aims, publication model, and history of C21 Literature: Journal of 21st-Century Writings. Second, it locates this issue within a range of other scholarly approaches to the periodisation and historicisation of the present.