Jan 18-25: "What is Adolescent Literature?"
So, what is it and what are your thoughts about it?
I admit, I used to be an elitist. If it wasn't canonical, I didn't really see why I needed it in my classroom. Back then, of course, I was still figuring out that the teaching focus wasn't on all my preferences but on the needs and interests of my students. I used to really turn up my nose at anything YA, but, I did so because I was stubborn in terms of my notions of "worthy literature" and ignorant to the complexity, variety, and quality of YA lit available.
How do you view YA lit?
I admit, I used to be an elitist. If it wasn't canonical, I didn't really see why I needed it in my classroom. Back then, of course, I was still figuring out that the teaching focus wasn't on all my preferences but on the needs and interests of my students. I used to really turn up my nose at anything YA, but, I did so because I was stubborn in terms of my notions of "worthy literature" and ignorant to the complexity, variety, and quality of YA lit available.
How do you view YA lit?
posted by Bucky C. at 1:19 PM
8 Comments:
Before now, I didnt truly understand, or pay attention to, the differences in "what was taught in the adolescent classroom" and the label YA. I guess for the most part I assumed that any type of literature, including the classics, were YA (because that is what I read in my high school english classes). I am beginning to see that there are differences in what was required in my classrooms and what we define as YA now. I struggled with the definition of YA prior to doing the reading and attending our first class... questions in my head were... What is the difference? When did YA become a known term in the classroom? and What effects can these books have on our students? I think i am just revealing the surface to the answers to these questions, but I do have to agree with Harrison, these books are out there and can be used to motivate and grab the attention of the struggling readers in our classroom. I am excited about the potential we have in this class to explore and experience YA for ourselves.
I think the bottom line in YA is that you need to find something that the students can relate to, classic or not. If you teach the books from the canon in the right way - so that the students can relate to them - I think you have a good chance of being successful in motivating your students to read. However, finding a way to get teenagers to relate to something that was written a century or longer ago can often be difficult. Because of this, I feel that including books outside of the canon can also be valuable and should be included in YA programs in the classroom. I do feel that not all books are created equal in literary value; however, reading is reading, and sometimes you have to take what you can get
I remember one time when I was in fifth grade, a friend of mine and I discussed how much we loved The Baby Sitters Club books and anything written by R.L. Stine...those were the days. Then in the sixth grade I abandoned serial novels and developed a love for John Grisham and Stephen King. Somewhere along the line, I think I missed some quality YA . So, needless to say, my first idea of what YA was (those books in Waldenbooks in the Young Adult fiction racks) and what it wasn't (everything else) before coming to class was pretty limited. And maybe that's one of the reasons why I'm excited about reading so much in this class -- I can finally read what I probably was supposed to read 12 years ago!
I'm a huge supporter of connecting students' interests and familarities to whatever I happen to be teaching, so it should come as no surprise that I believe YA has its place in the classroom. And if I can use it in a way that will enhance student learning and/or connect it to the canon, I'm all for it. While this might increase the amount of reading my students will have to endure, I would hope they appreciate my efforts to connect their world to the written word. I also hope it would encourage them to dive into more YA or classics and discover for themselves what they have to offer.
When I first enrolled in this class, I assumed we would be re-reading the classics and learning how to teach them to our future students. I attended a conservative Catholic high school where the English curriculum (comprised almost exclusively of classic novels) was chosen by department heads long before my time. Perhaps this fact contributes to my naïve view of YA literature. During high school, I was always an English dork that loved reading the classics while many other students viewed them as boring or outdated. I realize that many students struggle with reading and that classic novels can be difficult to relate to. Therefore, I think pairing classics with YA texts is a wonderful way to help spark interest and motivate high school students to actually read the literature and come to appreciate it, if not fall in love with it as I did. I know I could have learned a lot if I had been given the chance to read YA literature as a high school student and am really excited to read it this semester. I believe English curriculum must change with the times to keep students interested and motivated. Of course, I believe the classics should still be taught, but newer texts offer variety and mix the curriculum up a bit.
To me the label itself carries so many problems that I admit I never used to take it seriously, the term "adolescent literature" or the literature itself. So this semester I'm most excited about more accurately defining this label.
Personally I've adopted a very broad working definition that allows me personally to give value to the term. Since adolescence is defined as "A transitional period of development between youth and maturity," I like to think of the adolescence as it regards a reader's growth instead of physical growth. As has been alluded to in previous posts, specifically Allison's, for many people many different kinds of literature will fit this bill. Literature doesn't have to be specifically for adolescents nor do adolescents need a specific type of literature. I like the idea that a reader can undergo many adolescences at many different times. As an educator, if I can appreciate this fact, more and more varied literature will have value in my classroom.
To keep all literature from being labeled adolescent however, I think some of the thematic elements Bucky outlined help to identify works how and why they appeal to adolesncets. More importantly, teachers should understand these elements to better teach (or reach) their students as Heather says.
Personally I want to take these elements from our exploration to better understand how adolescents read what they call literature.
Perhaps I've been influenced by some of the chapters assigned for this week, but my answer will go back to what I originally said was my interest in YA lit at our first class: a bridge to the canon. After reading chapters 9 & 10 in the Teaching Reading book, I am even more taken with how these authors can lead into the likes of Fitzgerald, Salinger, and even Shakespeare. That said, I also read "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" for this week, and I enjoyed it enough to also feel like these novels shouldn't just be relegated to the role of being a means so some other, more important, end. These books, I think, are also worth teaching in their own right. And, to some extent--say, in middle schools--I think they are. But somewhere between middle and high school, they get lost in the shuffle, and this is the mistake.
I love YA personally. There is such satisfaction in sitting down and being able to finish a really good book in about 2 hours. I feel that they keep me grounded, young, and in the know so to speak. The YA lit out there seems to be just as refreshing for adults as it is for their younger counterparts, and what better way to be able to relate you to your students? The book that I read can even be applied to my exceptional learners class! Who would have thought that a YA novel could be useful in a college classroom?
Unfortunately like Bucky many people feel that Adolescent, and especially Children's literature, is meant only for those ages to which they are most commonly marketed. That said, I have found that some of the most profound and beautiful works of literature are thus marketed and and thus written off by the literary elite because of their typical audience. The tricky part about YA and children's literature is that, if meant for younger readers, the author must take into account thier still young vocabulary as well as the necessity for hooks and ease of flow which will ensure that the child stays "hooked" while reading the novel. YA literature can also be used in schools to help with reading and can provide children with a necessary outlet from which they can at times live vicariously and learn. Were it not for the characters that many of us loved as children, it is doubtful we could be the personalities we are today.
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