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| Format: | Recurso educativo Open Access |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
1992
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| Online Access: | https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED354510 |
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| _version_ | 1867181884143828992 |
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| author | Skjonsberg, Kari |
| author_facet | Skjonsberg, Kari Skjonsberg, Kari |
| collection | Education Resources Information Center |
| contents | Postmodernism in Youth Literature--A Road Away from the Reader? Skjonsberg, Kari Adolescent Literature Audience Awareness Childrens Literature English Curriculum English Instruction Library Role Postmodernism Secondary Education The prototype of the modern youth novel emerged in the second half of the 19th century, and books written specifically for either male or female youths often covered similar storylines and themes, usually educational in purpose. Changes in the readership emerged rather slowly, but a dramatic shift in ideas about children's literature was inspired by the events of 1968, when the problem-oriented youth literature was born. Typical books of this genre consistently covered the same topics: alcoholics, abortion, death, divorce, drugs, juvenile delinquency, mental and physical handicaps, sexuality, suicide, war, etc. But soon after this, writers began experimenting with concepts drawn from postmodernism, including the notion of fragmentation, the loss of traditionally valued qualities like depth and coherence, and various disorienting techniques. Experimental youth novels also drew components from science fiction, film and video. The implied readers of these books are 15-16 (secondary school age), but they are often read by younger children who do not fully understand what they are reading. The youth novel today demands much more of its readers than it formerly did, and sometimes it demands too much. Thus, besides the technical skills involved with reading, experimental youth literature also often requires a certain maturity, experience, and intellectual prowess. Of course, writers should be allowed to experiment, and there remains a need for serious youth novels. However, if the writers of these books forget their readers, youth and the youth novel will go their separate ways, and the only readers of these books will be adults. (HB) |
| format | Recurso educativo Open Access |
| id | eric_ED354510 |
| institution | ERIC Institute of Education Sciences |
| language | en |
| publishDate | 1992 |
| record_format | eric |
| spellingShingle | Postmodernism in Youth Literature--A Road Away from the Reader? Skjonsberg, Kari Adolescent Literature Audience Awareness Childrens Literature English Curriculum English Instruction Library Role Postmodernism Secondary Education Postmodernism in Youth Literature--A Road Away from the Reader? Skjonsberg, Kari Adolescent Literature Audience Awareness Childrens Literature English Curriculum English Instruction Library Role Postmodernism Secondary Education The prototype of the modern youth novel emerged in the second half of the 19th century, and books written specifically for either male or female youths often covered similar storylines and themes, usually educational in purpose. Changes in the readership emerged rather slowly, but a dramatic shift in ideas about children's literature was inspired by the events of 1968, when the problem-oriented youth literature was born. Typical books of this genre consistently covered the same topics: alcoholics, abortion, death, divorce, drugs, juvenile delinquency, mental and physical handicaps, sexuality, suicide, war, etc. But soon after this, writers began experimenting with concepts drawn from postmodernism, including the notion of fragmentation, the loss of traditionally valued qualities like depth and coherence, and various disorienting techniques. Experimental youth novels also drew components from science fiction, film and video. The implied readers of these books are 15-16 (secondary school age), but they are often read by younger children who do not fully understand what they are reading. The youth novel today demands much more of its readers than it formerly did, and sometimes it demands too much. Thus, besides the technical skills involved with reading, experimental youth literature also often requires a certain maturity, experience, and intellectual prowess. Of course, writers should be allowed to experiment, and there remains a need for serious youth novels. However, if the writers of these books forget their readers, youth and the youth novel will go their separate ways, and the only readers of these books will be adults. (HB) |
| title | Postmodernism in Youth Literature--A Road Away from the Reader? |
| topic | Adolescent Literature Audience Awareness Childrens Literature English Curriculum English Instruction Library Role Postmodernism Secondary Education |
| url | https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED354510 |