In Our Feels about YA Literature: YA Lit as Real Lit

I have a confession to make. When I think of young adult (YA) literature as a genre, there are a couple of biases that immediately come into play. I don’t think of the enduring classroom classics or the blossoming field of YA fiction’s burgeoning indie writers. Instead, I think of the Harry Potter franchise, or corny light-hearted romance reads. For context, with a background in education, I’ve worked in a classroom setting with YA novels, and even took a semester-long course on the history of YA fiction. If anyone should be internally subverting those biases, it’s someone like me. Yet, somehow, I fall into the same trap again and again, automatically expecting less literary merit from a novel, just because it’s labeled YA, then unjustifiably expecting the most predictable of character tropes because it’s labeled YA.

Their Takes: Two Educators

I was curious as to whether other educators might share in these sentiments, and in the frustration that goes along with them (when you know that you know better). I was also curious about, if my suspicions were confirmed, what that might mean for the prospects of contemporary YA writers, and how YA books are thought of and utilized in a classroom setting. 

I spoke with two secondary-level English teachers and the similarities between their responses were striking. When asked if they expect less literary merit from YA novels, one answered that she does but that some of that feeling is deserved, while the other responded blatantly with “it generally does contain less literary merit” and then proceeded to list the reasons why, all before finishing the response by acknowledging some of his favorite books of all time are considered YA novels. Processing such a response took some time, but I realized that all of the titles he mentioned were high fantasy novels, and that he was likely criticizing series like Harry Potter or Percy Jackson, which tend to spend less pages on world-building and more on moving a story along. 

When asked how they utilized contemporary YA lit (a.k.a. literature) in the classroom, one responded that contemporary YA lit wasn’t in her curriculum at all and the other suggested that YA lit’s place in the classroom is as an introduction to the study of general literature—to inspire ideas and conversations about characters, plot, themes, and much more. This seems valid, but when presented as YA lit’s only hope for classroom use, this take describes the genre as something that only has value when tied to the ‘bigger picture’ of general literature. The two educators and I then addressed how they imagined the writing process might differ between an author writing YA lit and one writing for a general audience. With a bit of hesitance, they agreed that a YA author has the additional responsibility of keeping their particular audience at the forefront of their minds, a challenge similar to that of a children’s literature author. 

It seems to me like there are two kinds of YA lit: those which are initially written for a YA audience (Harry Potter, The Lightning Thief) and those which become classroom classics over time (Of Mice & Men, Lord of the Flies). I asked each educator if they see common substantial differences between these groups, as well as how their instructional approach varies between the two. Here, their answers diverged. The first stated that the difference is huge, that she does teach one and does not teach the other (due again to her school’s curriculum, not necessarily personal preference) and that while the first group has already stood the test of time, the latter has yet to prove itself. She admitted that the latter may become the former, but then anecdotally backtracked by arguing that, generally speaking, works of YA lit have a habit of becoming exceptionally popular for a short time and then slowly dying out. The second educator combatted the premise of my question by observing that there are two kinds of stories: those that are written to be marketable, and those that are written because a given story needed to be told. He stated that YA lit is dominated by the former, largely due to publishing trends that turn into self-fulfilling prophecies. He identifies as a fan of classics and explained this preference by, like the first educator, indicating that they've withstood the tests of time, adding that:

“ Sometimes a truly excellent classic is able to transcend that and remain relevant; at other times, not. Teaching classics then becomes almost an exercise in history more than in literature, though most of the truly great ones truly do transcend that barrier.”

Let’s Discuss with an Author

The second step in my research, as stated above, was to pose similar questions to an author of YA lit. I reached out to Fanny T Crispin, author of YA fantasy titles such as Clockwork Dreams, Dragon King, and Wizard Ring. We began with the question of her writing process, first posed above to the two educators. Below is our conversation in full:

The Nonac: How does the writing process differ when writing YA fiction as opposed to general fiction?

Crispin: I think, from my experience, the YA community is looking to tie emotional conflict with young adult experiences. Young adults are still trying to figure out life, they feel lost and unsure about their place in the world. More often than not, they fail to see themselves as the protagonist in their own stories. I try to approach my writing with those themes.

The Nonac: How does the publishing process differ?

Crispin: There's not a dramatic difference between the two. If an author is looking for agent representation, they use the same method of matching the prospective agent's interests to their own and submit the proposal. The major difference then is the target audience.

The Nonac: Over the years, have you noticed any substantial trends in YA lit, or any pushes for or against the macro-genre as a whole?

Crispin: There's a massive push for underrepresented minority authors—and I think that's wonderful. A common slogan in the YA community is 'Every story deserves to be told.' As for the genre as a whole, it is highly marketable both to young adults and adults. Consumers are looking for relatability—and anyone can relate to these stories.

The Nonac: What niches exist within the realm of YA fiction that a lay-reader (such as myself) might not recognize or consider?

Crispin: There are definitely some niche markets within YA. Some include cyberpunk, weird west, and steampunk, as well as markets for social issues, personal health, and historical fiction.

The Nonac: Do you feel that critics, reviewers, and educators expect less general literary merit from YA fiction, or do you think that they, on average, are likely to hold certain biases against the macro-genre of YA fiction? If so, where do you think these issues stem from?

Crispin: I would disagree. Watching the trend of YA and the influence over the upcoming generation, I think there's absolutely an expectation to bring real issues to the table. Reviewers acclaim such stories that push the boundaries of literary merit, which is largely subjective, and bring to light current social issues and trends.

Crispin’s responses provide meaningful, helpful insight into the world of YA literature as experienced by an author. She also touched on the issue of underrepresented minority authors, which, to my surprise, neither educators mentioned at all. I did ask them about trends in the genre, but the response of the first was simply another comment on the importance of marketability and the second did not offer a response. 

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of comparing Crispin’s responses to those of the educators interviewed above is the apparent lack of awareness on both sides of the issue, to which neither party can be held fully responsible. As a YA writer, Crispin is obligated to take herself, her work, and her field seriously, and therefore disagrees immediately with the notion that critics and educators may hold immediate biases against YA lit as a whole. Meanwhile, the educators interviewed for this article, teaching in different districts and coming from widely different educational and social backgrounds, instantly admitted that they do hold these biases, and that to some extent they believe their predispositions are justified. However, Crispin addresses reviewers directly in her response, not educators.

“ As such, it would be both helpful and interesting to continue this research by speaking with critics and reviewers who engage often with YA lit, by choice or by professional obligation, to gauge their responses in contrast with those of the educators interviewed for this piece, and to see if the perspectives of these groups are more closely aligned with Crispin’s.”

Comparing the responses of the two educators to those of Crispin also begs the question of whether YA writers consider the opinion of educators nearly as much as the educators assume. A group of English teachers in the break room might discuss a particular book they’ve seen under the arms of several students lately, but a group of YA authors is unlikely to be aware of these conversations, unless a school decides to use their work as part of the curriculum, resulting in a bulk order of the piece. Alternatively, perhaps additionally, the relationship between YA authors and the US public education system has a rocky history. From classroom classics like To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, and Catcher in the Rye, to contemporary works such as Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, and even the Captain Underpants series (remember that?) have faced harsh scrutiny from school districts, facing bans and restrictions only to later resurge from infamy. When considering that the controversy surrounding Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian was largely due to the work containing ‘anti-Christian’ rhetoric and that Captain Underpants stole the title ‘most banned book in the US’ from Fifty Shades of Grey in 2012 for its ‘obscene language,’ perhaps some mistrust is warranted. 

My aim with this piece, and with any further research on this topic, is not solely to define the dichotomy between YA authors and educators who encounter their works in the hallways or utilize them in the classroom, but to help bridge the gap. When educators are encouraged to be aware of their biases, to state them explicitly and to explore their roots, my hope is that this acknowledgement will lead to growth, and to a more open mind.When YA authors and even fans of the genre are made aware of the biases that encourage teachers to push their works to ‘low brow’ status, my hope is that the writers and their followings will pressure districts more than ever to consider the fairness of their judgements, from which books students are pushed to read to which books they’re even allowed to read.