“Artistry and Innovation in Young Adult Literature” by Wendy R. Williams

This week Wendy Williams offers a thoughtful and provocative post about the quality of Young Adult Literature. I think it builds a bit on what I was getting at a couple of weeks ago. (found here) Many of us that admire and promote YA literature realize that some it is better than the rest. This is true of any medium of art, but Wendy takes the time to give some specific examples. I think this is a post that all of us  should keep in mind has we build our course and make selections for the fall.

“Artistry and Innovation in Young Adult Literature” by Wendy R. Williams

Young adult (YA) literature can help young people as they navigate their way through adolescence. A multitude of experiences, viewpoints, and possibilities are represented in these texts, making YA literature an important resource for teens. YA books are valuable. They show readers that they are not alone. They comfort, challenge, and inspire. They open minds and change lives.
 
In this week’s YA Wednesday blog entry, I entertain the idea that in addition to being beneficial for youth, YA literature is also a formidable art form in its own right. Within this body of literature are strokes of genius and many surprises. Play and experimentation abound. In today’s entry I pause to appreciate some of the artistry and innovation in YA literature. I consider just a few of the texts that immerse readers into imaginative worlds, contain innovative text/typography, experiment with structure, or creatively employ images. In the comments section, please add your own examples of artistry and innovation in YA literature, so we can continue the conversation.

Imaginative World

​Within YA literature are many examples of imaginative worlds. In addition to containing memorable villains, heroes, and helpers, many stories also introduce us to unique customs, rules, and language. A world might contain reapings, peacekeepers, tributes, victors, districts, tesserae, and mockingjays (The Hunger Games). Or it may introduce us to house elves, boggarts, hippogriffs, death eaters, spells, a department of mysteries, and o.w.l.s (the Harry Potter series). We may witness family units, a ceremony of twelve, a committee of elders, a receiver, a nurturing center, stirrings, and sameness (The Giver). 

I would put the intricately crafted worlds of Lois Lowry’s The Giver (1993), Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games (2008-2010), and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter (1997-2007) up against the best artwork in other mediums. These stories provide immersive experiences into imaginative worlds. To me, these books are as aesthetically important as paintings by Hieronymus Bosch, animation by Hayao Miyazaki, and epic poetry by Homer. They are deep, beautiful, powerful, disturbing art. 

Innovative Text/Typography

            Also in YA literature are examples of authors experimenting with the particulars of how the story appears on the page. Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls (2009) is a postmodern text that experiments with text/typography. For example, she uses strikethrough lines to show a character revising her thoughts:
            I’m hungry I need to eat.
            I hate eating.
            I need to eat.
            I hate eating.  (p. 145)  

In addition, the author includes several pages with only three words: “Must. Not. Eat.” (p. 185-187), and some other pages are empty. There are even calorie counts in parentheses after food items to show a character’s thoughts about food: “I pour too much cereal (150) in the bowl, splash on the two-percent milk (125)” (p. 7). Also, Anderson combines words for effect: “Breakfast is themostimportantmealoftheday” (p. 7). This author’s inventiveness reminds me of works by e.e. cummings and Italo Calvino. She is not just telling a story; she applies the tools in new ways. Anderson pushes the boundaries of what is possible in this medium. 

Experiments with Structure

Many YA texts experiment with storytelling structure. Jacqueline Woodson’s book, Brown Girl Dreaming (2014), is a beautiful, moving memoir told through a series of poems. Isabel Quintero’s Gabi, a Girl in Pieces (2014) uses a collection of diary entries, lists, letters, poems, and a zine to take readers into Gabi’s world. 

​Gene Luen Yang’s American Born Chinese (2006) alternates between three different storylines, which ultimately come together at the end. And in Tom Leveen’s book, Party (2010), eleven characters share their perspectives in chapters of their own. Rather than tell stories in a straightforward or linear way, many YA authors are mixing forms and experimenting with different structures. Creativity in storytelling method seems to be a valued component of YA literature. 

Creative Visual Storytelling

​YA literature also contains many examples of visual storytelling. Illustrated books and graphic novels are popular. One of my favorite visual narratives is Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007). The many images in this text are not merely illustrative of the words on the page; instead, they play an essential role in telling the story. 

Selznick’s pencil drawings are captivating, and they show how images can be used to provide perspective, create movement, and establish setting. I particularly love the opening pages, which bring the viewer into the story by zooming in from afar, which is not unlike the opening of Baz Luhrmann’s film Moulin Rouge (2001). YA literature welcomes the visual in a way that adult literature typically does not. I am excited to see how YA authors/artists continue to push the boundaries of storytelling through their use of images in the years to come.

Conclusion

Some people claim that only 5-10% of the work produced in any area is of the highest quality, and the rest falls far below. When I look at the shelves of YA books in my office, it is true that some books stand out more than others. With so many books published each year, there is bound to be a range of quality. Still, the best YA literature can stand up to the best art created in other mediums.  

Wendy's can be reached at: Wendy.R.Williams@asu.edu and her faculty webpage is found at this link.