Wednesday 19 June 2019

A brief history of young adult literature

You see those books in their dedicated shelves and aisles in bookstores, and even watch them come to life in the movies. Young adult or YA literature is likely here to stay, what is it exactly all about, particularly for generations that didn’t grow up having The Hunger Games or Twilight series? Comparative literature student John Eilermann from St. Louis, Missouri has this quick introduction.

Image source: HelloGiggles.com

Image source: SpecoOnSpecFic.com
In general, YA literature refers to books written for an audience of 12 to 20 year olds. It may, however, also include books that are largely products for adults but maintain an appeal to younger readers. In 1957, the Young Adult Library Services Association was created after a major reorganization inside the American Library Association.

Here’s a bit of context. Back then, teenagers were being served at the library but didn’t have their own books, except for a few things like The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. In 1967, S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders was published, while Judy Blume’s novels came out in the 1970s and heralded the so-called Golden Age of YA.

Who could forget Sweet Valley High and The Babysitter’s Club in the 1980s? R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series also reigned in YA horror, while Lois Lowry’s The Giver offered a look at dystopian futures. Then there’s the sub-genre of young adult romance, where teens blossom and discover love, and where there are varying degrees of quality and seriousness in tackling the subject matter, noted John Eilermann.

J.K. Rowling’s seven-book Harry Potter series needs no further introductive, while Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games ushered in the era of speculative fiction in the YA landscape. There are so many places on the web where you can find YA readers, such as YALSA, Book Riot, Riveted, YALL West, and Epic Reads.

John Eilermann from St. Louis, Missouri is a student of comparative literature. It is his goal to develop an understanding of literary compositions regardless of boundaries such as language, culture, and tradition. Learn more about literature on this page.

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