Learn YA Lit with Me (Ch.5)

The one where Ms. Shattuck learns the answer to "What is YA lit?"

I'm taking a class on Young Adult literature this semester at SHSU and am required to blog about each chapter that I read, so I thought I'd create a series to share with my blog friends. Welcome to Chapter 5.

The textbook authors decided to go with a definition from 1983 from Mertz & England. Granted, with the growth of literature, I feel an 1983 definition could use an update, but it's still extremely applicable and, for the purposes of this course, appropriate.

For Mertz & England, YA lit is/has: (with my notes/thoughts in italics)

• A young, independent protagonist with a young protagonist's point of view (processing of events) who has to deal with the decisions made from that process

• Directness of exposition and confrontation (though now it is not always the case)

• A significant, but also incomplete, but also incremental change in the main character (which one is it M&E?)

• It reaps concern over contemporary issues (but really only if it's a contemporary novel because, let's be real, YA Fantasy doesn't necessarily deal with snapchat drama)

• Has Brief time period, limited setting, few fully developed characters may be part of the structural convention (But not really anymore because I don't think M&E has ever heard of spin-off series...)
  

Honestly this definition is all over the place and outdated in my opinion, but these are definitely things that can be found within Young Adult literature. I think M&E's 1983 definition is probably what was emerging within the early 80s, and yes, still sets foundation for the ideas--but definitely should be updated.