How Do I define "the human condition" (hc) as it relates to contemporary literature...

In general "the human condition" entails all that humans experience. With regard to contemporary literature and existentialism, the focus is upon the condition of the individual and his or...

I would suggest that one element of the human condition present in the modern realm of literature and existentialism is the notion of individual freedom.  In both realms, there is a strong idea...

There is no exact answer for "What is the human condition."  That is completely up to your interpretation.  More importantly, it should be defined by the author you are reading.

I disagree with the assessment by mwestwood that contemporary literature is related to modernism.  Most of the contemporary literature is postmodern, a reaction to the ideals of "high art" in the modernist movement (defining postmodernism is also a lengthy task, so I would avoid this angle). 

akannan did a nice job of defining man's role in the world according to the existential world view.  Existentialists saw man as being absorbed in the mundane motions of life.  In looking at the human condition in a work of literature, you would have to ask

• Has the character taken control of his/her life?
• Does the character seem more pathetic or heroic?
• On what subjects/themes does the character seem to focus?

The human condition is the state in which man lives.  Most people strive to make a mark on the world.  They want things, but often don't make the effort to go after them.  They want to experience great emotion and significance, but seldom take the opportunity.

I hope this in conjunction with the other replies will help you.

This is just by way of addition. The theoretical angle should cover existentialist thinkers like Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Sartre and Camus. The basic positions are---

1. Existence precedes essence.

2. We are thrown into this world. Our birth and death are both beyond control and arbitrary.

3. The link between the human subjectivity and the external world is absurd.

4. Life is an endless task which is impossible like that of Sisyphus, who knows that his stone will never reach the hill-top but he has to go on. He has to try. One has to imagine Sysiphus happy.

5. It is not always pessimistic. It holds within itself a rather destinationless courage for the human subject.

In literature, Sartre's novels and plays, the so-called Theatre of the Absurd in the form of Beckett, Pinter, Ionesco, Genet and Albee, Kafka and Camus's novels, the novels of Saul Bellow etc were all influenced by the existentialist philosophy sometimes in metaphysical and sometimes in political terms.