literaryreference

Young Adult Literature: From Romance to Realism, Third Edition | Michael Cart

Young adults are trapped within a liminal space of constant infantilization or adultification, with no gray space. YAL shapes who we are as people and provides the YA community a sense of unity in their discoveries and inquiries. As teachers, we are responsible for sharing meaningful YAL with our unique student body. YAL is not a life map with thousands of paths for our students to explore with whimsy and ambition.
*Fourth Edition

jkmac9717 I agree with what you‘re saying about the lack of gray space. For so long, as Cart details, there wasn‘t any literature catered to the liminality of adolescence, which is why it is so important for this genre to provide a space to discuss slightly more mature issues but in a perhaps more digestible format. I agree that we need to share MEANINGFUL YAL with our students, however I also think whimsy and ambition CAN still happen too with balance! 11h

1 comment

tatumlanders

Young Adult Literature: From Romance to Realism, Third Edition | Michael Cart

In Cart‘s chapter, he aptly describes young adulthood as “an ill-defined developmental space somewhere between childhood and adulthood” (Cart, 3). As a relatively new concept in the history of humanity, does the ambiguity of the young adult experience impact how controversial young adult literature is in today‘s classrooms? With no good definition of YA, how do we determine what is or isn‘t appropriate for students from all different backgrounds?

jessicaking This is a great question - and of course I don't have an answer. As an evolving art form (as Cart mentions with his extensive research surrounding the birth of the genre), we must be conscious of so much. Our judgement certainly plays a role in what texts we use in the classroom, but so do personal preferences, biases, prejudices, etc. All that to say, you make a such a valid and interesting point, and I find myself wanting similar answers. 13h

1 comment

annagsears

Young Adult Literature: From Romance to Realism, Third Edition | Michael Cart

One thing I've learned throughout my time in English Education is that literature provides an opportunity for students to gain valuable experience through the characters they read about. I found this perspective particularly relevant to “From Romance to Realism,“ mainly when it discussed the prevalence of novels depicting various career paths. Because these students read about the specific details of these jobs, they gain relevant experience.

sammiegdeas So true! The purpose of reading shouldn't be to tick a canon work off the list; it should be to expose our students to the world around them. Choosing literature that reflects different paths students can take is so important to their development, and I am so excited to be a part of that growth. After all, the purpose of education is to prepare students for the world outside of school, so our texts should reflect it. 17h

Makaylaholton I totally agree. Literature gives students a safe and broad space to explore real-world roles and challenges. When texts reflect diverse futures, students can better imagine their own paths and potential futures, which is so important. I feel like it's easy to sometimes not realize how big of a role we play as teachers, especially as English teachers. We have the opportunity to give our students such a vision of the world around them. 17h

2 comments

LaurenAsh

Scout, Atticus, and Boo: A Celebration of To Kill a Mockingbird | Mary McDonagh Murphy

so-so

Loved the essay from James McBride the best.

13 likes

GatheringBooks

The Last Resort | J. Patrick Lewis

pick

#AboutABook Day 27: #SetInHotel - this place is a refuge for artists who have lost their inner eye, one-legged pilgrims in search of lost treasures, a young boy who speaks in verse and fishes messages from the sea, a sickly young woman dressed all in white with a scaly secret, and a bizarre greyish man who vowed to spend his time writing extraordinary letters. My review: https://wp.me/pDlzr-81b