Are teen books ruining good literature?

Question

I have noticed there are a lot of poorly written teen books out there lamenting the woes of high school. I think that these books block teens from persuing good literature at a time when the are intellectually capable of reading just about anything. What do you think?

Answer 1

I don't know what you have been reading, but I am extremely impressed by the Teen Fiction boon of recent years. There has been alot more good about it than bad.

I think anytime you can get kids to read that is a good thing and by striking a balance between literature and fun reading it will create good reading habits for later on. I know my daughter loves good literature, but she likes to curl up with Gossip Girls once in a while too. Just have to make sure they get the benefit of both.

Answer 2

Hummm...I've written and deleted several answers to this question because I can't quite put into words exactly what I need to express. Please, pardon any rambling that may occur.

There is a lot of literature from every genre and category that is poorly written, formulaic, cliched, ect. Teen books certainly do not have a monopoly on this idea.

That having been said, many works that are now considered "good literature" were thought of as trashy dribble when they were written. A wonderful example of this is Shakespeare...a hack in his own time, revered in ours.

And please don't forget that there is more to literature than what a person is intellectually capable of achieving. It takes intellect, maturity, and life experience to understand a lot of the underlying themes in literature.

Young Adult Literature has been given a bad reputation. In my high school all the AP kids (including me) were running around pretentiously reading Hemmingway, Hawthorne, Cummings, Whitman, blah, blah, blah. And not understanding half of what we read. Individually, the words made sense, but we simply had not experienced enough of life for the concepts to work for us.

Fast forward 10 years and I discovered YA Lit authors like Chris Crutcher, Phillip Pullman, John Green, Jane Yolan, Lois Lowry and Laurie Halse Anderson. These people connect with the emotional maturity of jr and sr high students and deal with issues that may (and probably are) occurring in the student's lives.

From experience I can say that if I had read Chris Crutcher in high school than I would have been much more prepared to deal with issues of race and sexuality once I left the small town I grew up in. Had I read Anderson, I might have learned about rape in a way that empowered me. Lowry would have shown me the pitfalls of a Utopian society in a way that I could understand.

Bottom line is that I don't believe anyone has the right to judge a novel as being inherently good or bad based on genre or subject. That practice is a little too much like censorship for me to be comfortable supporting it. If the book instills a love of literature in a kid and gets them to read more...and eventually those works you consider "good literature" than I don't really care where they start at.

Answer 3

I,too, have issues with some books like the ones you describe, but I don't think they categorize all of YA literature. Some teen books, such as those by Joan Bauer, help kids to grow and pursue their talents. Also, some teen books allude to classics and can interest teens in reading adult literature.

Overall, I think teen lit has the problem that plagues all genres--poor writers who pick fluff topics. In fact, some teen books from the early '80's and before are more well-written than many adult books (a depressing amount of books in the fiction section today are written about 30something women who can't find a good husband). For instance, Irene Hunt tackles many adult topics such as domestic abuse with a mature voice that teens and adults can appreciate. Good YA books are out there--sometimes you just have to search a little harder and check out older titles.

Answer 4

I'm really pretty impressed by the quality of a lot of teen books. Led by the Harry Potter books, along with other popular titles, there's a lot of recent fiction aimed at the teen market that is really quite good. As for the crap, which is always out there, I really don't think that most of the kids reading it would otherwise be perusing Proust or Faulkner. They'd probably be spending the time watching TV or playing video games, and even a bad novel is an improvement over that.

Answer 5

A lot of factors play into the disinterest of high school students to pursue a well-read livelihood. "Teen books" (I'm assuming you're the calling the angst and drama-ridden novels) are geared towards high school students to fulfill their hunger for gossip and drama (something that is apparently not very fruitful in teen lives).

This is the age that most human beings begin to emulate others' lifestyles (consider shows such as Laguna beach and the O.C), whether it be the rained-down, washed-out Britney Spears or the scantily clad, skeleton of Paris Hilton. These "teen books" were a response to the growing interest among the younger generation towards books that teens can not only relate to, but use as well.

I doubt that an elimination of such books would divert high school students to seek out the poetic consolation of Henry James or Jane Austin.

Answer 6

My sentiments exactly. What I see happening is crummy authors are playing on the thought processes of teens by saying; between the lines; that they are not smart enough to read all literature, so we will write books that draw in teens. Therefore their reading level drops. I say this because when I was growing up and after reading the classics before I got out of elementary school, I had to discuss what I read with my parents to make sure I understood what I read. Today, with the advent of 'teen' books, these so-called authors are lowering the estimation of teens back to elementary school level. But this is just my opinion. I figure if you understand what you read, read anything. Don't limit yourself to just 'teen' books.

Answer 7

There are poorly written books of any genre and audience -- but even a poorly written book can do something great. If a book gets someone interested in reading in general, I'd say it doesn't matter who bad the writing is, it's served a great purpose.

Answer 8

i'm the comparable with the full no cussing/intercourse factor and that i counseled: -The Summoning: Darkest Powers Trilogy. My first youthful person e book ever and that i found it so addicting and spell binding :D right here is the precis: My call is Chloe Saunders and my existence isn't possibly the comparable lower back. All i wanted replaced into to make acquaintances, meet boys, and shop on being straightforward. i do no longer even understand what which skill anymore. it began on the day that I observed my first ghost ---and the ghost observed me. Now there are ghosts everywhere and that they gained't bypass away me on my own. To precise all of it off, I in a roundabout way have been given myself locked up in Lyle residing house, a "specific residing house" for stricken infants. however the residing house isn't what it form of feels. do no longer tell every person, yet i think of there may be greater to my housemates than meets the attention. The question is, whose section are they on? that is as much as me to be sure the risky secrets and techniques at the back of Lyle residing house . . . earlier its skeletons come decrease back to hang-out me. I additionally adore The Vampire Diaries, yet because of the fact you hate vampires... I additionally surprisingly advise you examine Harry Potter. surely. i replaced into additionally the comparable and observed each and all the flicks first, yet then I examine the 1st e book and replaced into offered. I comprehend why it have been given so recongised and had maximum of awards. J.ok Rowling is faultless. Its in no way innapropriate and if something: virtuous. nicely planned/carried out and out of his international reliable. you will no longer experience sorry approximately examining HARRY POTTER. HP constantly <3

Answer 9

Well, high school stunk--there are plenty of woes to be found there (that's probably why I dropped out). But you shouldn't confuse literature classes with literature. As Mark Twain said, "Never let school interfere with your education." It all depends on what you mean by "good literature"...and as always with people, they'll use the same phrase with (frequently) contradictory meanings.

Answer 10

Although many of these books are really, REALLY bad, I wouldn't say it's ruining literature. More just like...distracting from it. Still, I tend to focus on the good books aimed toward young adults: His Dark Materials, Harry Potter, Chanters of Tremaris, Tamora Pierce, etc.