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From: SueDNimn at aol.com <SueDNimn>
Date: Tue, 12 Nov 2002 14:53:31 EST
Megan asked, "How well does children's literature reflect the diversity of family life that we know exists in our culture?" and I can't resist putting my three cents worth in. (The extra penny is for inflation.)
When I started writing teen novels, I went to the local library and picked up few dozen teen books just to see how the genre had changed since I was a teenager. In almost every single one of these books the main character came from a dysfunctional family. It became a cliche. You'd think the entire population lived with divorced alcoholic parents. (Except for those children who lived with workaholic, uncaring parents, or those who'd been conveniently orphaned.)
On one hand I realize this isn't supposed to be a reflection of society, but is rather a writer's device. Books are supposed to have conflict so writers give their characters conflict through their families. Also, because in today's children's books the children are supposed to solve their own problems, not the adults, the author renders the adults impotent by making them dysfunctional.
It wouldn't make sense to the reader that the heroine of the story didn't go to her parents and tell them that her boyfriend is actually a vampire who's threatening to kill her unless there is something wrong with the parents.
That said, I'm getting pretty tired of reading about parents who can't solve their own problems let alone help out their children. I'm making a conscious effort not to have helpless parents in my novels, but then my books are on the lighter/funnier side so that isn't terribly hard for me to do. No one is trying to kill off my characters. (Although sometimes I'm tempted . . .)
Janette Rallison
Received on Tue 12 Nov 2002 01:53:31 PM CST
Date: Tue, 12 Nov 2002 14:53:31 EST
Megan asked, "How well does children's literature reflect the diversity of family life that we know exists in our culture?" and I can't resist putting my three cents worth in. (The extra penny is for inflation.)
When I started writing teen novels, I went to the local library and picked up few dozen teen books just to see how the genre had changed since I was a teenager. In almost every single one of these books the main character came from a dysfunctional family. It became a cliche. You'd think the entire population lived with divorced alcoholic parents. (Except for those children who lived with workaholic, uncaring parents, or those who'd been conveniently orphaned.)
On one hand I realize this isn't supposed to be a reflection of society, but is rather a writer's device. Books are supposed to have conflict so writers give their characters conflict through their families. Also, because in today's children's books the children are supposed to solve their own problems, not the adults, the author renders the adults impotent by making them dysfunctional.
It wouldn't make sense to the reader that the heroine of the story didn't go to her parents and tell them that her boyfriend is actually a vampire who's threatening to kill her unless there is something wrong with the parents.
That said, I'm getting pretty tired of reading about parents who can't solve their own problems let alone help out their children. I'm making a conscious effort not to have helpless parents in my novels, but then my books are on the lighter/funnier side so that isn't terribly hard for me to do. No one is trying to kill off my characters. (Although sometimes I'm tempted . . .)
Janette Rallison
Received on Tue 12 Nov 2002 01:53:31 PM CST
