Decalogue of the Characteristics of Postcolonial Literature: A Proposal of a Taxonomy for Literary Criticism and Comparative Literature Studies

This paper aims to offer a classification proposal of the features that are typically found, to a greater or lesser extent, in postcolonial texts in any language. In spite of the fact that this taxonomy model is based on previous theoretical definitions of the key concepts related to postcolonial literature (Edwards 2008, Nayar 2008, and Ramone 2011), it seems to be the first formal classification to be devised. It examines well-established concepts, presents the new notion of plasticity of literary genres and explores the current trends regarding research on intersectionality. The decalogue of characteristics of postocolonial literature obtained as a result will facilitate literary criticism and comparative literature studies.