LIB 617 LIB 617 ResearchResearch in Young Adult in Young Adult LiteratureLiteratureFall 2010 Fall 2010

What is What is Young Adult Literature?Young Adult Literature?

What is YA Literature?What is YA Literature?

• What it is notWhat it is not– “Young adult literature is not

classic literature written by dead white men.”

• Attributed to Dr. Faith A. Wallace, professor in Secondary and Middle Grades Education at Kennesaw State University.

• Intro to Young Adult Literature: Appreciating the Complex World of YAL

• © Mechele R. Dillard Jan 26, 2007

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So, what is YA Lit?So, what is YA Lit?

•Young-adult fiction–Young-adult fiction, whether in the form of novels or short stories, has distinct attributes that distinguish it from the other age categories of fiction: adult fiction, middle grade fiction, and children’s fiction. The vast majority of YA stories portray an adolescent as the protagonist, rather than an adult or a child.

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What is YA Literature?What is YA Literature?•Definition #1: Definition #1:

– YA literature refers to books written specifically for a teenage audience. The books usually have a young protagonist and present that young person dealing with issues that other young people all face (belonging, falling in love, or deciding what to do in the future, for example) or issues that young people are afraid they may have to face (violence, drug dependency, alcoholism, being alone, death of a loved one, pregnancy, or divorce of parents).

• HIGH SCHOOL CONNECTIONS: YA: FAQ (We're Glad You Asked!)

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What is YA Literature?What is YA Literature?

•Definition #2: Definition #2: – YA literature is anything young

adults are reading of their own free will. Teenagers vary widely in their reading interests.

•Definition #3:Definition #3:– YA literature is any book marketed

as YA by a publisher. Sometimes the classification of a book as YA seems arbitrary.

• YA: FAQ (We're Glad You Asked!)

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Derogatory viewsDerogatory views•As a genre it has been As a genre it has been referred to as: referred to as: –‘Adult Lite’, not a real book –a genre not in its own right, a step up to adult books (Aronson, p. 19)

–novels for slow learners –books just about sex and drugs, dysfunctional families and dropping out, and

–a ‘sub-literature’ not worthy of discussion, especially in the class room (England and Mertz, p. 119). • Developing a love of reading: why youn

g adult literature is important

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Carte BlancheCarte Blanche• What Is Young-Adult Literature?

– Does anyone any longer know what we mean by the term young-adult literature? Not so long ago, I would have said, without too much fear of contradiction, that it meant books for readers from 12 to 18 years old. But, over the course of the last several years, the term has grown so restlessly expansive that it now seems to embrace titles for readers as young as 10 and (arguably) as old as 35.

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Cart’s evolution of YA LitCart’s evolution of YA Lit

1.1. Books for readers from 12 to 18 Books for readers from 12 to 18 years old years old

2.2. Expansion of YA to include the 10 Expansion of YA to include the 10 to14 age range to14 age range

• Roots in the middle-school movement of the late 1980s

3.3. Inclusion of the 19 to 35 range, at the Inclusion of the 19 to 35 range, at the other end of the demographicother end of the demographic

• a newer, more market-driven phenomenon that is related, I would argue, to the ongoing shift of the YA market from the institutional to the retail

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Content of this evolution?Content of this evolution?

• The traditional YA literature of the The traditional YA literature of the 1970s 1970s

• Crossover fiction, novels, that is, with Crossover fiction, novels, that is, with multigenerational appeal multigenerational appeal –They’re typically written by young authors, usually in their twenties; they're often first novels or novels presented in the form of the currently fashionable collection of linked stories. Their protagonists may be teens, but just as often they are in their twenties. Coming-of-age or rite-of-passage issues drive their plots. And, perhaps most importantly, they are published as adult novels.

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Why define YA Lit, then?Why define YA Lit, then?• Selecting books for young adults is difficult. Selecting books for young adults is difficult.

–[Young adults] read for information and for pleasure. They read to escape the confines of their own lives, and to better understand their world. Gender, age, and personal reading preferences influence young adults’ book selections. Some young adults select books published especially for their age level; others select books published for adults. Young adults may read a novel because of its plot, theme, style, or other literary characteristics.

• A Portrait of Popularity:An Analysis of Characteristics of Novels from Young Adults’ Choices for 1997 by Rosemary Chance

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Chance’s study•YA’s tend to choose “character-YA’s tend to choose “character-driven” novels:driven” novels:–protagonists are round and dynamic, . . .

well developed

–the majority of the novels have conflict that centers on people, person-against-self and person-against-person

–protagonists tell their stories from first person point of view

–backdrop settings illuminate character

–the major thematic idea is becoming self-aware and responsible for one's own life.

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Characteristics of YA LitCharacteristics of YA Lit• YAL involves a teenage protagonist YAL involves a teenage protagonist

and often reflects and interprets and often reflects and interprets their viewstheir views

• YAL is fast-paced. Generally, its dialogue is YAL is fast-paced. Generally, its dialogue is direct and confrontational, and the direct and confrontational, and the

language is sparselanguage is sparse • YAL includes a variety of genres, themes YAL includes a variety of genres, themes

and subjectsand subjects • YAL is basically optimistic, or at least YAL is basically optimistic, or at least

hopefulhopeful –

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A reason for encouraging reading?A reason for encouraging reading?

•““. . . a thoughtful and concerned . . . a thoughtful and concerned teacher can successfully pick teacher can successfully pick good literature and encourage good literature and encourage students to independently become students to independently become compassionate American citizens compassionate American citizens who read and think about others who read and think about others who are living in worlds very who are living in worlds very different from their own.”different from their own.”– In the Beginning: Recognizing Diversity in

Children’s and Adolescent LiteratureExploring Culturally Diverse Literature

Why do we analyze literature?Why do we analyze literature?

• To discover the full spectrum of To discover the full spectrum of the contentthe content

Analyzing Multicultural Literature

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A little Newtonian physicsA little Newtonian physics

• Newton first used the word spectrum Newton first used the word spectrum ((Latin for “appearance” or for “appearance” or “apparition”) in print in 1671 in “apparition”) in print in 1671 in describing his describing his experiments in in optics. .

• Newton observed that when a narrow Newton observed that when a narrow beam of beam of sunlight strikes the face of a strikes the face of a glass glass prism at an angle, some is at an angle, some is reflected and some of the beam passes and some of the beam passes into and through the glass, emerging into and through the glass, emerging as different colored bands. as different colored bands. – Visible spectrum From Wikipedia, the free

encyclopedia

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Spectrum requires a prismSpectrum requires a prism• Estonian composer Estonian composer

Arvo Pärt:Arvo Pärt:– I could compare my music to

white light which contains all colours. Only a prism can divide the colours and make them appear; this prism could be the spirit of the listener.

• about his music: Alina 

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Prism as a filterPrism as a filter

• Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin:Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin:– The biographer finds that the

past is not simply the past, but a prism through which the subject filters his own changing self-image.

• Goodwin, Doris Kearns (1979). ‘‘Angles of Vision’’, in: Mark Pachter (Ed.), Telling Lives: the biographer’s art. Washington, DC: New Republic Books. Cited in Debate and Reflection: How to Write Journalism History

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A prism to view the full spectrum of A prism to view the full spectrum of literatureliterature

• PPersonalersonal

•

•

•

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RRealeal

IInventednvented

SMSMiley faceiley face

Personal?Personal?

• Do you feel as if you’re involved; Do you feel as if you’re involved; part of the action?part of the action?– That these are real people we’re

dealing with—some identifiable personalities

April 12, 2023Analyzing Multicultural Literature

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Real?Real?

• Is there something that makes Is there something that makes you feel that this could have you feel that this could have happened? happened? – Even when it couldn’t in real life?

April 12, 2023Analyzing Multicultural Literature

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Invented?Invented?

• Is this story invented, created by Is this story invented, created by one or more authors? one or more authors?

April 12, 2023Analyzing Multicultural Literature

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Smiley Face?Smiley Face?

• Does it seem generic, Does it seem generic, impersonal?impersonal?

April 12, 2023Analyzing Multicultural Literature

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Two ContinuumsTwo Continuums

•RealReal Invented Invented

•PersonalPersonal SMiley FaceSMiley Face

Put ‘em together! Put ‘em together!

Personal

SMiley

Real

Invented

Application to Young Application to Young Adult Literature???Adult Literature???

. . . and Books . . . and Books with Beat????with Beat????

Top Left Sector of MatrixTop Left Sector of Matrix2626

• Up close and personal—and real!Up close and personal—and real! Real

Personal

Folklore: consists of culture, including stories, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions (including oral traditions) of that culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. (Wikipedia)

Invented

Folktales and Young AdultsFolktales and Young Adults27

Bottom Left Sector of MatrixBottom Left Sector of Matrix28

• Invented, but Personal Invented, but Personal RealP

ersonal Invented

Quality literature, sometimes Quality literature, sometimes adaptations, or else original adaptations, or else original

writing, with universal appeal and writing, with universal appeal and meaning for everyman and meaning for everyman and

everywomaneverywoman

Quality “Books with Beat”Quality “Books with Beat”

• Carbon Diaries Carbon Diaries seriesseries– Sixteen-year-old Brit Laura Brown just

wants to rock out with her punk band, the dirty angels. Unfortunately, the environment keeps getting in the way. Due to the violent global warming storms that keep ravaging greater Europe, the England of the near future has decided to lead the way to a greener planet by being the first country to try “carbon rationing.”

• Review of The Carbon Diaries 2015

• See also ALAN’s Picks: June 2010

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• Real Smileys!Real Smileys!

Top Right of the MatrixTop Right of the Matrix30

Real

Recognizable stories, Recognizable stories, but unoriginal and but unoriginal and shallowshallow

Invented

A example by a famous author?A example by a famous author?

• Kingdom of the Golden DragonKingdom of the Golden Dragon by Isabel by Isabel AllendeAllende– At best pallid despite large dollops of

exotica ranging from the sect of the scorpions to totemic animals and telepathic communication between man and man, man and beats, man and yeti, the book ‘Kingdom of the Golden Dragon’ is like an amateur attempt at cooking bouillabaisse. It straddles too many genres and none are blended competently and with flair.

• Review by Anita Nair

• See also review on

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• Invented smileys Invented smileys [perhaps contrived?][perhaps contrived?]

Bottom Right of the MatrixBottom Right of the Matrix32

Invented

Generic, unoriginal, Generic, unoriginal, impersonal, shallowimpersonal, shallow

An example here?An example here?

• Fat Boy SwimFat Boy Swim– There are a number of plot elements

with the potential to be interesting and have a strong impact on Jimmy and the story, but none of them are fully realized, and the book feels as if it’s trying too hard to cram too much into Jimmy’s life.

– Unfortunately, FAT BOY SWIM falls down on its promises and delivers nothing that hasn’t been done already in other novels.   --- Reviewed by Carlie Webber on

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See also some varied

reviews on

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Important to consider!Important to consider!

• Evaluation is subjectiveEvaluation is subjective– Your mileage may vary!– See, for example, the variety

of reviews of Kingdom of the Golden Dragon on