what is a contemporary

In literature, contemporary sources refer to reviews or criticism of a literary work (ex. poem, play, novel) that were written around the same time that the work was published. Contemporary sources reveal whether a work was immediately successful (ex. Harry Potter) or ahead of its time (ex. A Jury of Her Peers).
In history, contemporary sources refer to news stories, journal entries, etc. that were written around the same time that an event happened. Contemporary sources reveal how much the public understood about an event at the time and what they thought about it.

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The period is contemporary with the peruke––the period is the peruke of style.

References:

http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/contemporary
http://www.southampton.ac.uk/international_summer_school/themes/modern-britishness.page