History+and+Evolution+of+Young+Adult+Literature

=History and Evolution of Young Adult Literature=

Young Adult literature is defined by fiction written for, published for or marketed to adolescents, usually between the ages of 14 to 21. They are typically written with the adolescent as the protagonist, and usually follow a storyline based on common adolescent experiences associated with growing up.

The first time that young adult literature was recognized as a group was by Sarah Trimmer in 1802. However, publishers of that time did not want to market to younger readers. Adolescents did not have a culture that was specifically tied to them as a separate group. However, despite this, there were books published for younger readers in the nineteenth century. Some of these books include //The Swiss Family Robinson// (1812), //Oliver Twist// (1838), //Alice in Wonderland// (1865), and //The Jungle Book// (1894). The modern definition of young adult literature originated during the 1950s and 60s. S.E. Hinton’s //The Outsiders// greatly influenced this change, as the book focused on teens not yet represented in young adult literature. It showed the darker side of young adult life, especially the darker side of it, as it was written by a young adult.

When publishers began to focus on the emerging market for adolescents, young adult sections began being separated from children’s literature or novels written for adults in bookstores and libraries. The 1970s and 80s have been described as a “golden age” in young adult fiction. It was when challenging novels began catering directly to the interests of adolescents.

Today, young adult fiction takes on many new forms and genres. E-books, graphic novels, manga, fantasy, mystery fiction, even cyberpunk (a science fiction genre focused on “high tech” and “low life”), splatterpunk (described as “hyperintensive horror with no limits”), techno-thriller and contemporary Christian fiction are all considered subcategories of young adult literature.

Bibliography Eccleshare, Julia (1996). "Teenage Fiction: Realism, romances, contemporary problem novels". in Peter Hunt, ed.. //International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature//. London: Routledge. pp. 387–396

Egoff, Sheila (1980). "The Problem Novel". in Shiela Egoff, ed.. //Only Connect: readings on children's literature// (2nd ed.). Ontario: Oxford University Press. pp. 356–369.

Garland, Sherry (1998). //Writing for Young Adults//. Cincinnati, OH: Writer's

Lutz and Stevenson (2005). "The Hyphen". //The Writer's Digest Grammar Desk Reference//. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer's Digest Books. pp. 274–275. [|ISBN] [|1-58297-335-0].

Nilsen, Alleen Pace (April 1994). "That Was Then ... This Is Now". //School Library Journal// **40** (4): 62–70.

Stuart Berg Flexner, editor in chief ; Leonore Crary Hauck, managing editor. (1987). //Random House Dictionary, 2nd edition//. Random House. [|ISBN] [|0-394-50050-4].

ed. in chief Philip Babcock Gove (2002). //Webster's Third New International Dictionary//. Merriam-Webster. [|ISBN] [|0-87779-206-2].

Kenneth L. Donelson, Alleen Pace Nilsen. (1980). //Literature for Today's Young Adults//. Scott, Foresman and Company. [|ISBN] [|0-673-15165-4].

Taryn Bates