In order to understand any term which contains multiple parts, one must first dissect each word. In order to understand the term literary trends, one must first be sure they understand each individual word.

The term literary means:

pertaining to or of the nature of books and writings, especially those classed as literature ("writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays").

The term trend means:

the general course or prevailing tendency.

Based upon these individual definitions, one can combine the two to create a general definition for the term literary trends. Therefore, a literary trend is something by which an author adheres to (in regards to form, ideologies, themes, and expressions) which mirrors the general course (or prevailing idea) of the time period in which they are writing.

For example, Romantic authors came together under the ideology that feelings and thought were valued over reason, the importance of nature, and the freedom of imagination. Works written during the Romantic period were similar in theme, form, and content. Based upon this, the literary trend of the Romantic period was to move against the prior literary trend (The Age of Reason--writers told readers how to interpret).

A current literary trend is one which has supernatural characters (as seen in Twilight and other vampire novels), focuses upon self-realization (as seen in The Hunger Games), and identity (as seen in The Help).