Romance

1
Romance RealismAdolescent understandings

• Dr. Betty Marcoux
• LIS 566
• Winter Quarter 2004

2
Adolescence

• State of becoming NOT being
• State of continuous change - Puberty is a
  universal experience but adolescence is not (p 5
  Nilsen and Donelson 4th ed.)
  
• Mixture of terminology
• Young adult
• Teenager
• Adult with training wheels
• Adolescent
• Becoming increasingly younger
• Market driven
• Changing the landscape of YA literature
• The more technological a society, the more likely
  it will recognize adolescence as a separate and
  distinct stage of human development, making it
  worthy of a body of literature which addresses
  that stage in language, themes, content (Cart,
  From romance to realism, 1996, p. 7)

3
Romance for adolescents

• Appeal to teenagers
• Usually contains both romance and adventure
• Tend to not remind YAs of lifes difficulties
• Resolutions usually a positive accomplishment
• Wish fulfilling
• Happy endings good wins over evil
• Hero overcomes
• Many romantic symbols relate to youthfulness
• Hope
• Youth
• Young love
• Excitement
• Adventure
• Wide ranges of emotions in short time span
• Peck romanticism masked as realism with happy
  endings and positive assurances
  
• Others?

4
Three stages in romance literature of YA entrance
into the adult world

• Separation from nurturing love (often include a
  trip)
  
• Family
• Friends
• Physical and/or spiritual
• New issues
• Challenges
• Tests of courage
• Stamina
• Mental/physical often symbolic for
  representation
  
• Learning experiences
• Reunification with increased status
• Family
• Friends
• Accomplishments

5
Romance achievement development

• Supporting characters often shown by
• Symbolism
• Metaphors
• Details highlighting the qualities important to
  the story
  
• Evil/villain stands in the way of accomplishment
  and must be overcome
  
• Usually hard to do but done
• Helps appreciate the happy ending
• Motifs that fit the quest
• Compromise is ok as long as accomplishment still
  occurs

6
Why are sports stories considered romances?

• Have rewards
• Show accomplishment
• A strong representation of US life/values
• Exciting and winning
• Usually personal development included

7
Why are animal and nature stories considered in
the romance category?

• Accomplishment
• Heroism
• Symbols of loss that then bring about happy
  endings
  
• Good over evil in spite of evil
• Unquestioning love/admiration
• Separation to reunification
• Stages of new development often shown

8
Why are westerns in the romance literature
category?

• Almost always a quest usually a romantic quest
• Great challenges usually a part of the novel
• Resolutions that usually bring about happiness
  and represent growth
  
• Tasks and problems often representative of
  todays issues in terms of thought processes and
  concerns
  
• Usually lots of action

9
Accomplishment stories with religious themes

• Usually shows a YA helped by a religious
  experience
  
• Usually a quest of some sort psychological or
  physical
  
• Good over evil
• Can be symbolic in terms of religion usually
  not directly overt about religious connections
  (overtones)
  
• Misguidance to conversion and focus

10
Romantic love

• Similar to romantic novels in structure, but
  focuses upon the emotions of love when dealing
  with characters
  
• Usually symbolic with youth and newness
• Problems almost always a relationship between two
  humans but must be believable
  
• Pairings usually include some historical
  background whether it be about the pairing or the
  setting
  
• Usually lighter than romantic adventure
  literature
  
• Sometimes less serious in nature of problem
  (Romeo Juliet excepted)
  
• Social criticism a recent addition to plot
• Usually not about heavy problems of teens drugs,
  sex, alcohol, bad parents
  
• Formula romances female audiences usually
• Therefore novel emphasizes girl gets boy and
  tends to factor the female point of view
  
• Sexuality often explicitly involved
• Series often a part of these works
• Stereotypical and dangerous in some cases as
  perceived by adults
  
• Very popular
• Usually seen as recreational reading, escapism
• Tend to satisfy psychologically their readers

11
Realism in YA literature

• YA categorization originated in the US
• Much of the YA literature written previous to
  Cormier is largely ignored or considered
  inconsequential
  
• Unique feature in US publishing culture
• Sue Barton dawn of the teen-age story (M.
  Edwards Rise of Teen-age Reading, 1954)
  
• Realism in work and education
• Beginning of fiction career books in YA lit
• Firsthand most usual
• Based in real times/real experiences
• 1942 was the beginning of this new field of
  writing for YAs with M. Dalys Seventeenth
  Summer (Dodd, Mead)
  
• Theme first love
• Author wrote about things in her life that were
  important to her (she was 21 when this was
  written)
  
• Angie (the protagonist) was in first person and
  told her story boldly
  
• Dated attitudes now, but still a popular book and
  still read today
  
• Has had lots of spinoffs Cavanna, du Jardin,
  etc, magazine Seventeen only Cavanna and
  magazine remain in print of these spinoffs
  
• Authors began to be categorized as writing for
  YAs but long after they had written
  
• Cormier
• The iron duke
• Catcher in the rye
• Mr Mrs Bo Jo Jones

12
Realism in US YA History

• 1950s squeaky clean
• 1960s crumbling taboos
• 1970s realistic YA novel came into its own
  problems presented were about personal, social,
  personal issues era of the problem novel
  
• 1980s intensification of problem novel with
  diversification and multiple issues
  
• More diversity and depth
• Fully developed plots, characters, settings,
  themes
  
• 1990s novels established more reasonable
  relationship between YAs and parents/guardians
  
• 2000s bleak books and novels
• Topics can be really hard to deal with (madness,
  mental torture, serial killing, rape, murder)
  
• Closer than ever to the edge
• Nonfiction is more available for YAs not just in
  series but also in single titles
  
• Tend to be more authentic
• Authors usually more enthusiastic about topics
  than previously and relate them well to YAs
  
• Topics reflect major changes in todays YA
  literature as it covers more current trends and
  issues
  
• Controversial topics tend to be given better
  balance with authors biases clearly stated.
  
• Curriculum related materials have improved
• Clearer treatment of subjects
• Better and more relevant illustrations
• Better documentation

13
YA Reading Habits

• Readers influence reading what is hot and what
  is not
  
• Time spent on reading is no less time spent on
  computers tends to come out of television time
  rather than book reading time there is
  potentially an increase in reading occurring as a
  result of the computer.
• Intellectual challenges and emotional
  satisfactions of YAs tend to be similar between
  reading and the computer, but not with the
  television.
• Adults write YA lit their feelings influence
  what they write as well as their thoughts on
  knowing YA audiences
  
• Power versus wisdom over YAs
• Manipulation of children and YAs in literature
  and oral tradition can shape the readers
  meaning rather than draw it out
  
• Literature effect can be traced back to classical
  times (Plato, Aristotle)
  
• There are changing perceptions of childhood that
  influence what is being written for YAs.
  
• Moving from passive to active, from little
  autonomy to empowerment
  
• Issues of reader response and criticism
• Structure is moving to non-linear as much as
  linear
  
• Coming of age treated with more sophistication
• Melting pot versus diversity political
  multiculturalism education becomes catechism

14
What makes a good read about romanticism and/or
realism to a YA?

• Relate?
• Identify?
• Absorbing?
• Meaningful?
• Persistence/passion/stubbornness?
• Other?