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Gossip Girls and bad behavior
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From: Jane Buchanan <jbuchanan>
Date: Wed, 21 May 2003 11:54:53 -0400
On Wednesday, May 21, 2003 BudNotBuddy at aol.com wrote:
haven't read them, here's PW's summation of the first book
And yet Kirkus has this to say:
for teenage girls, offering them a titillating peek into the heady world of Manhattan's well-heeled teens, private-school kids who "have unlimited access to money and booze," and-since their prominent self-involved parents are terribly busy and largely disinterested-"tons of privacy" as well. Appearances reign in von Ziegesar's world, and the kids are free to do as they choose as long as they don't "embarrass . . . the family by puking in public, pissing their pants, or ranting in the streets." Loading it with labels and writing in a breathless style, von Ziegesar amusingly and succinctly sums up her characters. For example, a mother's less-than-classy new boyfriend is described as looking "like someone who might help you pick out shoes at Saks." The plot in this private-school intrigue/slice-of-life drama concerns the homecoming of Serena van der Woodsen, a captivating hottie who "every boy wants and every girl wants to be." Once the undisputed ruler of the reigning clique at the select Spenford School, Serena becomes an instant outcast, as the jealous and ambitious Blair Waldorf, the new queen bee, is not willing to surrender power or her handsome boyfriend. It should be noted that various youngsters smoke cigarettes, have sex, use marijuana, drink alcohol, and throw up after meals, and while these activities are not glamorized, they are presented as business as usual. That caveat aside, girls should find this lightweight novel spicy, entertaining, and their own trashy fun. (Fiction. YA)
I haven't read them, no. But I don't know how *dangerous* they are.
Is the sex as explicit as it is in some of the adult books of this ilk?
I also think there's something different about watching sex/violence on the screen and reading about it. Reading takes more effort, for one thing. It requires active participation on the part of the reader, and imagination. Seems to me I recall studies done on this from my days as a sociology major. Anyone know of any current ones?
I do wonder if there's an element of the chicken and the egg debate to this question. While it doesn't sound like great literature, I can't believe the Gossip Girls would make teens behave badly if they didn't already have the issues in their lives that might make them act that way anyway.
Jane
Jane Buchanan http://www.janebuchanan.com
New this spring: THE BERRY-PICKING MAN (FSG)
Date: Wed, 21 May 2003 11:54:53 -0400
On Wednesday, May 21, 2003 BudNotBuddy at aol.com wrote:
haven't read them, here's PW's summation of the first book
And yet Kirkus has this to say:
for teenage girls, offering them a titillating peek into the heady world of Manhattan's well-heeled teens, private-school kids who "have unlimited access to money and booze," and-since their prominent self-involved parents are terribly busy and largely disinterested-"tons of privacy" as well. Appearances reign in von Ziegesar's world, and the kids are free to do as they choose as long as they don't "embarrass . . . the family by puking in public, pissing their pants, or ranting in the streets." Loading it with labels and writing in a breathless style, von Ziegesar amusingly and succinctly sums up her characters. For example, a mother's less-than-classy new boyfriend is described as looking "like someone who might help you pick out shoes at Saks." The plot in this private-school intrigue/slice-of-life drama concerns the homecoming of Serena van der Woodsen, a captivating hottie who "every boy wants and every girl wants to be." Once the undisputed ruler of the reigning clique at the select Spenford School, Serena becomes an instant outcast, as the jealous and ambitious Blair Waldorf, the new queen bee, is not willing to surrender power or her handsome boyfriend. It should be noted that various youngsters smoke cigarettes, have sex, use marijuana, drink alcohol, and throw up after meals, and while these activities are not glamorized, they are presented as business as usual. That caveat aside, girls should find this lightweight novel spicy, entertaining, and their own trashy fun. (Fiction. YA)
I haven't read them, no. But I don't know how *dangerous* they are.
Is the sex as explicit as it is in some of the adult books of this ilk?
I also think there's something different about watching sex/violence on the screen and reading about it. Reading takes more effort, for one thing. It requires active participation on the part of the reader, and imagination. Seems to me I recall studies done on this from my days as a sociology major. Anyone know of any current ones?
I do wonder if there's an element of the chicken and the egg debate to this question. While it doesn't sound like great literature, I can't believe the Gossip Girls would make teens behave badly if they didn't already have the issues in their lives that might make them act that way anyway.
Jane
Jane Buchanan http://www.janebuchanan.com
New this spring: THE BERRY-PICKING MAN (FSG)
-- Forthcoming: Goodbye, Charlie, FSG 2004 Grandfather's Trumpet, Peachtree, TBAReceived on Wed 21 May 2003 10:54:53 AM CDT
