Create instance of generic type in Java?

Question

Is it possible to create an instance of a generic type in Java? I\'m thinking based on what I\'ve seen that the answer is no (due to type erasure), but

Answer 1

You are correct. You can't do new E(). But you can change it to

private static class SomeContainer {
    E createContents(Class clazz) {
        return clazz.newInstance();
    }
}

It's a pain. But it works. Wrapping it in the factory pattern makes it a little more tolerable.