CCBC-Net Archives
Lessons in YA Literature
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Brian Kerr-Jung <bkerrjung_at_gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:04:55 -0400
Lessons about in great literature. Every Greek or Shakespearean tragedy has something to warn us about. Certainly some of our most beloved YA literature has messages (e.g. Huck Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird). Problems arise when lessons are poorly taught: the author is too concerned about the message and ruins the story, or the author doesn't really understand the complexity of his characters' problems (and by extension his readers'), or the lesson is simply something stupid that the reader has heard her parents or teachers say over and over and over again, or the tone is all wrong. There are so many ways to screw it up that I think a lot of contemporary writers work hard to mute their messages. But a book, even a light escapist one, without anything to say, that takes no kind of stand at all, seems to be missing something.
Nearly every decent novel teaches at least one thing: how to empathize with someone at least a little bit different from ones self. If it doesn't do that much, most likely it has failed to engage the reader at all.
Jung, (MrChompchomp)
http://mrchompchomp.blogspot.com
Received on Fri 19 Aug 2011 12:04:55 PM CDT
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:04:55 -0400
Lessons about in great literature. Every Greek or Shakespearean tragedy has something to warn us about. Certainly some of our most beloved YA literature has messages (e.g. Huck Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird). Problems arise when lessons are poorly taught: the author is too concerned about the message and ruins the story, or the author doesn't really understand the complexity of his characters' problems (and by extension his readers'), or the lesson is simply something stupid that the reader has heard her parents or teachers say over and over and over again, or the tone is all wrong. There are so many ways to screw it up that I think a lot of contemporary writers work hard to mute their messages. But a book, even a light escapist one, without anything to say, that takes no kind of stand at all, seems to be missing something.
Nearly every decent novel teaches at least one thing: how to empathize with someone at least a little bit different from ones self. If it doesn't do that much, most likely it has failed to engage the reader at all.
Jung, (MrChompchomp)
http://mrchompchomp.blogspot.com
Received on Fri 19 Aug 2011 12:04:55 PM CDT
