Well, one notable change in the way both the African and Asian literature of these great continents has adapted to modernity is in the method by which their literature is delivered.
In the past, both African and Asian literature were reliant on being passed on through oral tradition; the word of mouth.
Unlike their European counterparts, who only really considered something to be "literary" when it was written down and distributed, the African and Asian literary canon has always been based around verbal storytelling - the passing on of wisdom, morality, tradition, heritage and culture through the ages.
This is changing in modern times. There has been an adaptation to more modern mediums of communication, and this looks to be the future of literature in these parts of the world.
Embedded in this "adaptation" to a more Western definition of literature is also the struggle or clash between values and themes of old, and a new world.
And so modern literature from these continents reflects the clash between things like:
- indigenous and foreign culture
- independence/individuality and communal spirit
- socialism and capitalism
- internal-development and self-reliance
- national identity and humanity
It's also interesting to see that modern literature from these two continents represents women, addresses corruption, economic and social problems.
These themes would never have featured heavily in more traditional literature from Africa or Asia.
