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imported from "Young Adult Literature (YA Lit)" [1] and Young-adult fiction [2]

Definition

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The definition of Young Adult Literature (YA Lit) varies based upon the age group at which the literature is aimed, and who is asked. Authors, readers, and young adult agencies all have different views of the definition. However, it is generally agreed that Young Adult Literature is literature written for adolescent readers, and in some cases published by adolescent writers. The Young Adult Library Services (YALSA) of the American Library Association (ALA) defines a young adult as "someone between the ages of twelve and eighteen". The distinctions between children's literature, YA literature, and adult literature have historically often been flexible and loosely defined. This line is often policed by those who feel strongly about the border. (Flynn 117) Another suggestion for the definition is that Young Adult Literature is any text being read by adolescents, though this definition is still somewhat controversial.

History

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The first recognition of young adults as a distinct group was by Sarah Trimmer, who in 1802 described "young adulthood" as lasting from ages 14 to 21. (Eccleshare 542) In her self-founded children's literature periodical, The Guardian of Education, Trimmer introduced the terms "Books for Children" (for those under fourteen) and "Books for Young Persons" (for those between fourteen and twenty-one).

Beginning in the 1920s, it was said that "this was the first time when it became clear that the young were a separate generation" (Cart 43); but in reality multiple works that fit into the YA category had been published long before. Although he may not have initially intended it for an adolescent audience, Sir Walter Scott's Waverly (1814) fit neatly into that category and soon fit the market for young adults. Soon after, in 1857, Tom Brown's School Days was published. Thomas Hughes' novel was immensely popular with adolescent boys. Another novel written in the mid 19th century was Little Women (1867), by Louisa May Alcott, which fit the adolescent category in the same way as Tom Brown's School Days but was aimed at girls. Little Women remains even more popular today than Tom Brown's School Days although they both continue to be reprinted. A few other novels that were published around the turn of the century include Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson, Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, Heidi, by Johanna Spyri, and Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. In 1937 The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien, was published, and Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943) is also beloved by adolescents today.

In the 1950s, shortly before the advent of modern publishing for the teen market, The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J. D. Salinger was published. Salinger's novel, with its troubled teenage protagonist, has been very influential on YA literature. Some claim this was the first real young adult novel, and that it opened up a whole new eye to what types of texts adolescent readers read. (Cart 43) Unlike most recent works classified as YA literature, it was originally written with an adult audience in mind. (FitzGerald 62) Following its publication, other classic texts such as Harper Lee's, To Kill a Mockingbird; Maya Angelou's novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; and Toni Morrison's, The Bluest Eye all entered the genre of Young Adult Literature as well, along with many others. As the decades moved on, the stormy sixties became the era "when the 'under 30' generation became a subject of popular concern, and that research on adolescence began to emerge. It would also be the decade when literature for adolescents could be said to have come into its own" (Cart 43). For this reason others adopt The Outsiders, published in 1967 by S. E. Hinton who at the time was only a teenager, as the initiator of the adolescent literature genre. This book sparked talk about what adolescents face, and recognition that adolescents can produce books that they can relate to. As publishers began to increase their level of marketing to the young adult demographic, librarians in turn started to create YA sections distinct from either children's literature or books written for adults, as each began to identify this as an audience with specific literary needs.[citation needed] In the 1970s, what has become to be known as the "fab five" were published. "For the record, the fab five are: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou; The Friends by Rosa Guy; The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath; Bless the Beasts and Children by Glendon Swarthout; and Deathwatch by Robb White" (Cart 77).

The advent of the 1980s saw the breadth of topics covered increase. The decade "contained a large amount of Young Adult publications which pushed the threshold of topics that adolescents faced such as rape, suicide, parental death, and murder. During the same period, "teenagers seemed to want to read about something closer to their daily lives-romance novels were revived" (Cart 99). In the 1990s, Young Adult Literature pushed adolescent issues even further by including topics such as, drinking, sexuality, drug use, identity, and beauty" (Lubar). Also in the 1990s, it seemed as though the era of Young Adult Literature was going to lose steam but "due in part to an increase in the number of teenagers in 1990s the field matured, blossomed, and came into its own with the better written, more serious, and more varied young adult books published during the last two decades" (Tomlinson and Lynch-Brown 5). Diana Tixier Herald exploring teen genre fiction in Teen Genreflecting (1997) notes that alongside traditional categories like fantasy, mystery, and romance it continues to expand into new subcategories, such as cyberpunk, techno-thrillers, and contemporary Christian fiction.

The 1970s to the mid-1980s have been described as the golden age of young-adult fiction—when challenging novels began speaking directly to the interests of the identified adolescent market.[1]

Teens have also become more and more marketable to text publications, bookstores have begun dedicating entire sections of their bookshelves to "teen" and "young adult" novels and texts, and movies are now produced more often that portray popular young adult texts with adolescent protagonists.

Genre

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See also: Children's literature critics

Young Adult Literature has become a genre which covers various text types including: novels, graphic novels, short stories, and poetry. As well as fiction, the genre includes various types of non-fiction such as biographies, autobiographies, journal entries/diaries, and letters. Memoirs are also popular forms of Young Adult Literature. The genre itself has been challenged due its seemingly mature content by critics of Young Adult Literature, but "other converted critics have embraced Young Adult so dearly that they have scoured the canon for any classics they could adopt into the YA family" (Stephens 2007).

Themes

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Young Adult Literature uses a wide array of themes in order to appeal to a wide variety of adolescent readers. Some of these themes include: identity, sexuality, depression, suicide, drug or alcohol abuse, familial struggles, bullying, and numerous others. Some issues that are talked about in young adult literature are things such as friendship, love, race, money, divorce, remarriage; interest in the opposite sex, concern over grades/school, and bereavement.[2] “Young Adult Literature explores themes important and crucial to adolescence such as relationships to authority figures, peer pressure and ensuing experimentations, issues of diversity as it relates to gender, sociocultural, and/or socioeconomic status. Primarily, the focus is centered around a young lead character and the reader experiences emotions, situations, and the like through this character and is able to see how these problems/situations are resolved.”[3] It also needs to play a significant role in how we approach this group and the books we offer them to read” (Lesesne 14). Reading about issues that young adults can relate to allows them to identify with a particular character, and creates a sense of security when experiencing something that is going on within their lives. "Whether you call them archetypes or stereotypes, there are certain experiences and certain kinds of people that are common to adolescents. Reading about it may help a young person validate his or her own experience and make some kind of meaning out of it" (Blasingame, 12).

With teens seen as confronting social problems inherent in adolescence, books appeared which focused on issues of personal or social upheaval (sometimes referred to as problem novels), including issues of sexuality. From Beverly Cleary's tame 1956 romance Fifteen, YA literature developed until there could be Judy Blume's controversial Forever (1975), about a teen's first sexual encounter. As sexual mores have changed, so have the boundaries of YA literature: Forever gave way in 1982 to Nancy Garden's Annie on My Mind, about two high school girls who fall in love, which paved the way for other realistic fiction category titles. As related by Cat Yampbell (350-351):

The subject matter of a YA book is different depending on whether the book is intended for a thirteen-year-old or a seventeen-year-old. Despite intended age determinations for these books, liberals and conservatives continue to battle over the age appropriateness of subjects such as relationships, sex, drugs, and death. Judy Blume, an author of books for young readers, caused a scandal in 1975 with Forever, which is commonly considered the first YA book to deal with teen love and teen pregnancy. Although Bradbury Press infuriated Blume by advertising the book as Blume's first adult book, Forever is a Young Adult title; it soon made its way into the teen audience (Foerstal 107). Sharyn November, senior editor at Puffin and Viking Children's Books, said "Gatekeepers often underestimate what teens can handle. [Teens] know a lot. They self-censor when they read--they skip over what they don't understand and focus on what makes sense to them at that point in their lives" (qtd. in Maughan, "Making").

Characteristics

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Young adult literature contains specific common characteristics. These characteristics encompass: “multi-themed story, tension versus shock effect, memorable characters, accurate facts and details, no unlikely coincidences, original idea, memorable voice, authentic dialogue, effective/clear writing style, sense of humor, widespread appeal, intriguing openings and memorable closings” (Cole 61–65). Other characteristics of Young Adult Literature include: "(1) Characters and issues young readers can identify with; those issues and characters are treated in a way that does not invalidate, minimize, or devalue them; (2) Is framed in language that young readers can understand; (3) Emphasizes plot above everything else; and (4) Is written for an audience of young adults" (Blasingame 11). Overall, Young Adult Literature needs to contain specific elements that will not only interest young adult readers, but elements that relate directly to real situations they face, and contain believable, empathetic characters.

Usage in Education

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Young Adult Literature has been integrated into classrooms in order to increase student interest in reading. Research performed on the type of impact YA Lit introduction has on students, particularly males and struggling readers finds: "Researchers have shown that introducing YA Literature to males improves their reading ability. YA Literature, because of its range of authors and story types, is an appropriate literature for every adolescent male who needs compelling material that speaks to him" (Gill). Research shows that not only adolescent males have been labeled as reluctant readers, struggling readers use reluctance as a coping mechanism. Young Adult Literature has been used to open up the door of reading literature to these readers as well: "When voluntary reading declines, the problems of struggling readers are only aggravated. By allowing adolescents to read good young adult literature, educators are able to encourage independent reading, which will, in turn, help adolescents develop the skills necessary to succeed" (Bucher and Manning).

Academics Kenneth Donelson and Alleen Nilsen have written about English teachers being constrained by the pressures of censorship to only use approved works. They suggest educators are sometimes placed morally and intellectually in the position of sugar coating the nature of the human condition to their students, and should be free to employ books which give an honest and unadorned portrayal of the world and of people. (Donelson 458) Another reason that Young Adult Literature has been incorporated into classrooms is to be paired with classic texts that are traditionally read in classrooms, and required by many schools curricula. Using YA Lit alongside a canonical piece of text can increase a students comprehension of the common themes the various texts have, and make reading a classic text more enjoyable: "Young adult literature can spark interest in the classics and vice versa. Although it's clear that young adult literature is more accessible, that doesn't warrant denying the classics to struggling readers. The classics shouldn't be reserved for exceptional students, and Young Adult Literature shouldn't be reserved for at-risk readers. (Cole 513).

Suggestions for classical/young adult text pairings using more recent YA publications (List generated by Joan Kaywell, as cited in Cole 515–516):

Classical Text / Young Adult Text / Common Themes / Topics

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee / Monster by Walter Dean Myers / Trial: Guilty before Innocent

Lord of the Flies by William Golding / The Clique by Lisi Harrison / Use and Abuse of Power

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain / The Watsons Go To Birmingham 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis / Prejudice

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury / Feed by M. T. Anderson / Exploring the Future

Dracula by Bram Stoker / Twilight by Stephenie Meyer / Vampires

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne / Sandpiper by Ellen Wittlinger / Sexual Behavior Alienation

Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger / America by E. R. Frank / Mental Illness Rebellion

Awards

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Main article: young adult literature awards

Various young adult literature awards are presented annually, to recognize outstanding YA Lit contributions. (YALSA) The awards span non-fiction as well as fiction, plus different mediums such as audiobooks.

  • The Margaret A. Edwards Award was established in 1988, honors an author, as well as a specific body of his or her work, for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. The annual award is administered by YALSA and sponsored by School Library Journal. It recognizes an author's work in helping adolescents' self-awareness and addressing of "questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world".
  • The Alex Awards are given annually to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults. The winning titles are selected from the previous year's publishing.
  • Odyssey Award honors the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.
  • YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults honors the best nonfiction book published for young adults during a November 1 – October 31 publishing year.

See also

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References

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Blasingame, James. Books That Don't Bore 'Em: Young Adult Books That Speak to This Generation. New York: Scholastic, 2007. Print.

Bucher, K., Manning, M. Lee. "Young Adult Literature and the School Curriculum" education.com Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall. 2006. Web. 12 May 2009.

Cart, Michael. From Romance to Realism: 50 Years of Growth and Change in Young Adult Literature. New York: Harper Collins, 1996. Print.

Cole, Pam B. Young Adult Literature: In the 21st Century. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009. Print.

Kenneth L. Donelson, Alleen Pace Nilsen. Literature for Today's Young Adults. Scott, Foresman and Company. 1980. Print. ISBN 0-673-15165-4.

Eccleshare, Julia. "Teenage Fiction: Realism, romances, contemporary problem novels." International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature. 2nd ed. Ed. Peter Hunt. Vol. 1. New York, NY: Routledge, 2004. 542–555. Print. ISBN 0-415-29054-6

Flynn, Richard. "Boundary Issues". ChLAQ Summer 2008 33 (2): pp. 117–118. Print. ISSN 1553-1201

Gill, Sam D. "Young Adult Literature for Young Adult Males". The Alan Review Winter 1999. Web. 12 May 2009.

Herald, Diana Tixier. Teen Genreflecting. 1st ed. Wesport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited, 1997. Print.

Lesesne, Teri S. Making the Match: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time, Grades 4–12. Maine: Stenhouse Publishers, 2003. Print.

Lubar, David. "The History of Young Adult Novels". The Alan Review Spring 2003. Web. 12 May 2009.

Owen, Mary. "Developing a love of reading: why young adult literature is important". Orana March 2003 39 (1). Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA).

Stephens, Jonathan. "Young Adult: A Book by Any Other Name...:Defining the Genre". The Alan Review Fall 2007. Web. 12 May 2009.

Thomlinson, Carl M., Lynch-Brown, Carol. Essentials of Young Adult Literature. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc. 2007. Print.

Yampbell, Cat. "Judging a Book by Its Cover:  Publishing Trends in Young Adult Literature", The Lion and the Unicorn; Sep 2005; 29:3; Children's Module, Johns Hopkins University Press, pp. 348–372, at p. 350–351.

Young Adult Library Services Assn. (YALSA). "YALSA's Booklists & Book Awards". American Library Association (ALA). Web. 12 February 2011.


References
  • Egoff, Sheila (1980). "The Problem Novel". In Shiela Egoff, ed. (ed.). Only Connect: readings on children's literature (2nd ed.). Ontario: Oxford University Press. pp. 356–369. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help)
  • Nilsen, Alleen Pace (1994). "That Was Then ... This Is Now". School Library Journal. 40 (4): 62–70. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)

Notes

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  1. ^ Owen, Mary, "Developing a Love of Reading"
  2. ^ Wells, April Dawn "Themes Found in Young Adult Literature: A Comparison Study Between 1980 and 2000." University of North Carolina, Apr 2003. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
  3. ^ "Qualities of Young Adult Literature." education.com. Education.com, Inc., 2006. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.

Other publications

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  • Authors and Artists for Young Adults, serial publication (Gale, 1989+) with bio-bibliographies of novelists, poets, dramatists, filmmakers, cartoonists, painters, and photographers which appeal to teenagers. Entries typically are six to twelve pages in length, have a black & white photo of the author/artist and other illustrations. Recent volumes include a sidebar recommending similar books/works the reader might like also.
  • Best Books for Young Adults. 3rd ed. edited by Holly Koelling for YALSA. ALA Editions. 2007. ISBN 978-0-8389-3569-9
  • More Outstanding Books for the College Bound, by YALSA. ALA Editions 2005. ISBN 978-0-8389-3553-8
  • Frances FitzGerald, "The Influence of Anxiety" in Harper's, September 2004, p. 62–70
  • Grenby, Matthew. “Introduction.” The Guardian of Education. Bristol: Thoemmes Press, 2002. ISBN 1-84371-011-0
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Popular contributions to young-adult fiction


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