This zombie does not smell like a teen spirit

by Camila Cháves

Zombies' curious existence calls teens' attention as much as death does. For some reason, teenagers usually feel attracted to zombies' rotten bodies. They seem to be fascinated about the fact that these people, who are neither alive nor dead, eat the living and enjoy scaring them. Since mortals usually affirm that a story about a zombie is a story for teens, this would be enough to store A Zombie´s Lament in any young adult's bookshelf. However, there are other important characteristics that, according to Small (cited in Herz & Gallo, 1996), make a story a case of Young Adults Literature (YAL). An example that appears to be out of this category is A Zombie's Lament, since despite being a short story about zombies, could not be considered YAL.

If there is something about YAL that Small takes as a must, it is the fact that a story for teenagers should have one of them as the main character. In A Zombie’s Lament, Andy, the protagonist, is a thirty-two-year-old husband and father whose undefined existence would not allow him to sleep if he were able to. It takes him a while to realise he is locked inside a wounded and stinky body. From an extrinsic point of view, he is the typical zombie any teenager may find interesting. He smells like a stale piece of meat and he dresses the clothes he was buried with. Yet, zombies’ archetypes break themselves easily looking at Andy’s emotional side. Although his heartbeat is long gone now, his emotions have not died yet. Perhaps, it is this emotional side what cannot be appealing to adolescents because Andy’s situation does not function as a mirror for their reality. He misses the life that was taken away from him. He is worried about the fact that he has not a social security number and everything that this implies. Andy misses his living daughter and his dead wife. He is not worried about the classmate he has a crush on or about his low marks at school. Besides, Small also considers that, in YAL, the actions performed by the main characters determine the result of the conflict of the story. In this case it is for sure that Andy only wants to have his time again but, he can do nothing to turn back the tide.

In A Zombie’s Lament the zombie does not want to perform the typical occupation society has attached to him. Andy is not starving for human flesh and he will not appear with drops of blood coming out of his dry mouth. Some important issues that are part of adolescents’ concerns, such as drugs and pregnancy, do not fit in this story. The more you dive in the story, the more the characteristics of YAL become diluted. A Zombie’s Lament perfectly teaches us not to judge a book by its cover.

A case of the stubborns: an unquestionable case of YAL

by M.A.

To distinguish what is art from what is not is not a simple task. It involves not only a high level of knowledge on the subject matter but also a high level of subjectivity. Since literature is art, subjectivity also plays an important role when it comes to determine which written texts can be considered to be literature. The aforementioned difficulty and subjectivity also applies when it comes to define what texts can be considered to be examples of Young Adult Literature (YAL). Still, there are certain elements that according to Small, dean at Radford University, should be present in most of YAL and therefore help us decide if a certain piece of writing is addressed to teenagers or not. “A case of the stubborns”, a short story by Robert Bloch, about a teenager whose grandfather is a zombie who does not realize that he is dead, unquestionably includes most of them. Therefore, “A case of the stubborns” constitutes a clear instance of YAL.

To begin with, when adolescents approach literature, they expect to find entertainment. Therefore, the mixture of adventure and horror that is present in “A case of the stubborns” is highly appealing for them. Besides, Jody Tolliver, the main character of the story, tells the whole story himself. This helps young readers to feel identified with him, not only because of a matter of age similarity with the character, but also because the first person narration “presents an adolescent’s interpretation of events and people” (Small, cited by Herz and Gallo:1996). In this way, teenagers may feel that their own point of view is reflected throughout the story.  It follows that this type of narration allows readers to “see” and understand events in the story from the main character’s perspective. This makes this story much easier to follow than other kinds of narration, such as the third person.

Among the different characteristics that Small proposes to be present in YAL we find that “the teenage main character is usually perceptive, sensitive, intelligent, mature and independent” and that “their actions and decisions are major factors in the outcome of the conflict.” Definitely these elements are included in “A case of the stubborns”. Jody Tolliver is depicted as a thoughtful, mature teen who is intelligent enough to find the solution for the striking problem that affects his grandpa in an independent way. In fact it is him the only person in his family, and in town, capable of making the right decision that will lead to the resolution of  the conflict.

Besides, “A case of the stubborns” is a short story of no more than eleven pages. Hence, its lenght is also appealing for teenagers who, according to Small, prefer not to engage themselves with long stories which demand a lot of reading  time.

Thus, although it is not precisely easy to determine whether a text is addressed to teenagers or not, there are some texts that present most of the elements that, according to Small, teenagers expect to find in a good work of literature. That is the case of “A case of the stubborns”, which unquestionably includes most of them. From its very topic, comprising zombies’ adventures, terror, and humour, to the style and lenght of the story, “A case of the stubborns” is undeniably an excellent example of YAL.

Are zombies stories appealing for teenagers?

by Julieta Acevedo

Have you ever read a zombie story? Do you think a 15-year-old boy would enjoy reading this genre?  Are these stories appealing for teenagers? According to Robert C. Small Jr., a text must have certain characteristics in order to be considered Young Adult Literature (YAL). Many of the features he mentions are reflected in “The late shift”, a short zombie story by Dennis Etchinson.

Small sustains that identification is an important issue. Teenagers will identify themselves with Maklin, a teenager who is the main character of the story and the centre of the plot.  The author also emphasizes that the main character is usually positively portrayed.  In this sense, Maklin is described as perceptive, mature, intelligent, and independent.

In accordance with Small, the main character´s decisions are important for the resolution of the story. It is clearly reflected in “The late shift”. Maklin is really involved in the relationship with his friend Whitey and because of that, he starts a journey to find the truth about the mysterious accident that his friend suffers.

According to Small, the dialogues in YAL reflect teenager speech. The conversations that appear in “The late shift” are clear instances of the way adolescents speak. In the beginning of the story, the main character is talking with his friend, Whitey, about a strange situation they perceive in a gas station and says: “Hey, did you catch that action up there?” And then, Whitey is speaking to a cashier from that place and says: “How is it going, man?”  Teenagers will feel they are reading a dialogue that is really familiar and comprehensible for them.

Adolescents will enjoy reading “The late shift” since the main character reflects many of the values, interests, slang and characteristics teenagers have and because Etchinson gives a predominant role to Maklin, an adolescent, since he is in charge of resolving the problems presented in the story. As a result, this zombie story is highly appealing for adolescents.

“THE EMISSARY”: A GOOD EXAMPLE OF YAL?

by Nadina González Moni

“I don’t like reading this story. It is for old people, not for me!” These utterances might be said by teens after having been asked to deal with a story. However, this does not mean that those adolescents do not like dealing with literature. Teen readers should need stories that catch their attention and keep them interested. However, the truth is that adolescents might not have been introduced to Young Adult Literature, which includes stories specifically aimed at teenagers. Robert C. Small, dean of the Collage of Education and Human Development at Radford University, points out some characteristics unique to young adult novels or stories. Taking those characteristics into account, there are a huge amount of stories which can be considered cases of YAL. A good case of young adult literature is the story “The Emissary” by Ray Bradbury.

Small suggests that a teenager should be the centre of the plot in a story. And this is what actually happens in the story “The Emissary”. Martin, a ten-year-old boy, is the main character. The story is about how Martin is confined to bed and how he feels as regards his illness.

It is true that Dog, Martin’s loyal pet who does whatever Martin wants him to do, seems to be the main character. However, the whole story develops around Martin. Everything that Dog does depends on what his owner needs or wants. This can be perceived the moment that Dog goes outside wearing a collar that has a message written: “My owner is Martin Smith…ten years old…sick in bed…visitors welcome”.

Other characteristic of YAL found in Bradbury’s story is identification. This means that the reader has the possibility to empathize with the main character. This characteristic could be perceived in “The Emissary”. Most teens can identify with Martin, who is sensitive and mature. His sensitiveness is perceived when Miss Haight dies, which makes Martin feel very unhappy, melancholic and angry with God. His maturity is easily discerned. Although he is just an adolescent, who is supposed to have a busy life, he accepts to be confined to bed. Sensitive and mature are almost certain characteristics shared among adolescents.

Apart from identification other characteristic of YAL in “The Emissary” is that the actions and decisions of the main character are major factors in the outcome of the conflict of the story. Apart of being confined to bed because of his illness, Martin faces other two mayor problems. The first one is Miss Haight’s death. Martin cannot conceive that dead people only lie underground. The other problem is the absence of Dog. He feels he cannot stay without him. But, without noticing, Martin solves his problems. The moment Martin says “Dog, come home, and run…” “…good Dog , home, boy, hurry, and bring what you can!”, he is asking Dog to came back home and to take Miss Haight with him, solving the problems.

It is worth clarifying that teens who read and appreciate books will probably feel willing to deal with reading when adults. They will also be parents who encourage their children to read one day. For this reason, if somebody faces adolescents who avoid reading, he should be aware that there is a good way to make them be closer to literature. By introducing them to YAL, adolescents will probably be interested in reading. If they identify with the main character of the story through the main character’s properties and conflicts, adolescents will certainly be engaged to read more and more. Since “The Emissary” allows identification, this story can be taken as a good case of YAL.

“ORANGE", A SCIENCE FICTION STORY WRITTEN BY NEIL GAINMAN THAT CAN BE CONSIDERED A CASE OF YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE

by ANDREA OLAZABAL

Choosing reading material for teenagers is not an easy task. In general, adolescents like reading if stories can reflect their needs and interest. Choosing appropriate literature to young adults has become an important task taking into account the development of the concept of adolescence.

Pedak (1978) defines the term young adult as “a member of the public who is in transition from childhood to adulthood, usually between the ages of thirteen and eighteen.”

According to Gail de Voss (2003) “adolescence is the term pshycholinguistics an educator use to identify the developmental stage marked by oneset puberty and the end of structural physical growth”.

Taking into account these definitions and changes adolescents undergo during adolescence stage is that offering appropriate literature to teenagers can engage them in reading.

But the main question for those who choose reading material for young adults is: what do they really prefer reading?

Young adult literature (YAL) is very popular among teenagers and comprehends those texts such as novels, short stories, legends, etc which are appreciated by young adults and may not be appreciated by other public.

In order to catch teenagers´ attention, Small ( 1992) points out in “The  Literary Value of Young Adult Novel” that there are some characteristics that are unique to young adult novels. They are the following:

•The main character of the story is a teenager.
•Dialogue reflects teenage speech, including slang.
•The point of view presents an adolescent´s interpretation of events and people.
•The teenage main character is usually perceptive, sensitive, intelligent, mature, and independent.
•The novel is short, rarely more than 200 pages, among others.

“Orange”, a science fiction story written by Neil Gainman, can be a case of YAL since some of the important elements stated by Small are present in the story.

This science fiction story is told from a 17- year- old girl. She tells the story of her nutty scientist mother with a laboratory in the garage and her irritating younger sister, Nerys, who is transformed by one of the mother´s experimental dyes into a glowing orange “immanence” floating above the ground and demanding to be worshipped. When things begin to get out of hand, aliens arrive in a spaceship and take the transformed Nerys away.

There is one particular element that can catch readers´ attention; the story has a very original style since it is composed of answers to questions the reader does not get to see.

“1- Jemima Glorfindel Petula Ramsey.
 2- Seventeen on June the ninth.
 3- The last five years. Before that we lived in Glasgow(Scotland). Before that, Cardiff(Wales).
 4- I don´t know. I think he´s in magazine publishing now. He doesn´t talk to us anymore. The divorce was pretty bad and Mum wound up paying him a lot of money. Which seems sort of wrong to me. But maybe it was worth it just to get shot of him…”

The previous extract shows some characteristics mentioned by Small. One point to consider is that in ORANGE the main character and also her irritating sister are both teenagers. Furthermore, it can be seen that the girl is perceptive, sensitive, intelligent, mature, and independent. This can be appreciated when she speaks about her father, the divorce and the relationship between their parents.

Another point to take into consideration is that the story is composed completely of answers to questions the reader does not get to see and the way of speech the narrator uses reflects teenage speech. In this case, another element stated by Small is present in this point of analysis and young readers may feel the story attractive and interesting.

What is more, ORANGE is short and easy reading and this can be a good point to engage teenagers reading this science fiction story.

To conclude, ORANGE, the science fiction story written by Neil Gainman can be considered a case of Young Adult Literature since it has some important characteristics pointed out by Small. Taking into account what was mentioned before is that young adults may feel the story interesting and this can engage them in reading it.

Literature in adolescents’ world

by Paola Vellere

Is literature out of fashion in the adolescents´ world? Could classics stir adolescents’ interest in the technology era? It is common knowledge that adolescents read less and less (at least they do not read from books). They may read short texts from the Internet or television if they are really interested in a particular matter. But what would happen if they come up against a really literary classic text as “Dead Men Working In The Cane Fields” which does not belong to their generation. This classic short story of horror and fantasy could be a matter of interest of any adolescent because fantasy allows them to dive in a parallel universe.

According to Donelson and Nilsen Young Adult Literature (YAL) is defined as “anything that readers between the approximate ages of twelve and twenty choose to read either for leisure reading or to fill school assignments” . Following this idea “Dead Men Working In The Cane Fields” could be classified as a YAL piecework. This YAL classic short story dating back to the 1900s could have been interesting for adolescents in those days just as it is for adolescents nowadays. Thus, time is not a matter. Throughout time, adolescents have been sharing the same characteristics as well as likes and dislikes. Fantasy is the driving force which leads them to get involved in this story. Therefore, literature is timeless as well as adolescents´ characteristics are timeless too. Adolescents need to identify with their partners; they have a voracious appetite for life and for answers about their own identity. Many of these needs are met through literature where the key themes are developed. Contrary to adults, young people escape from reality easily and they also enjoy it. The unreal world of zombies, wolves and vampires that this YAL short story provides is a suitable journey to the imagination world, a journey to keep adolescents far away from their controversial life.

In terms of adolescents´ fashionable life, classics are never out of fashion since they gather the answers they are looking for and fulfil their expectations. YAL literature consists of any kind of literary text (contemporary works as well as classics) provided that young adults feel like reading them. Under the line of the authors Donelson and Nilsen “Dead Men Working In The Cane Fields” is a clear example of YAL.    

Does any piece of science fiction correspond to YAL?

by Jésica Torres

In the last decades, it seems that science fiction has become a popular genre for young adult readers and writers as well. “The Starry Rift”, an anthology of original stories edited by Jonathan Strahan, is a result of this rising market and an attempt to re-invent science fiction for the young adult readers of today. However, I believe that “The dismantle invention of fate”, a fictional short story written by Jeffery Ford, has been mistakenly included within this compilation as I would not consider it a case of young adult literature but as a case of science fiction for elder readers.

It has been psychologically proved that teenagers are interested in reading stories that tie in with their own personal experience and life stage. They want to feel identified with the characters and the situations they are living and to place themselves in the hero’s role and fantasize about it. In the case of the story “The dismantle invention of fate”, the main character is an ancient astronaut who, in spite of telling the adventures he has lived when young, he does it from an adult point of view. This fact may give young readers a sense different time and context. It is known that teenagers are not likely to feel identified with old people’s stories that were lived in another time that it is not the days they are living in.

Another feature that supports the idea that this tale should not be included within young adult literature is the fact that it deals with concepts teenagers are not familiar with. Once again, the age of the protagonist is a key element since he reveals the feelings that arouse in him when remembering his youth. As an adult, he manages concepts and has experienced feelings like loss, nostalgia and fate which may not be meaningful for teenagers as they may not have lived or experienced them yet because of the period of life they are passing through.

In conclusion, I believe that the aspects previously mentioned need to be considered when deciding which texts may be interesting for young adults to read or not. It is not that any piece of fictional literature would be attractive for teens just because of its literary genre. Fictional stories need to be appealing for adolescents and to manage concepts and experiences which young people can feel identified with. Only if the literary text fulfils these requirements, it can be considered as young adult literature, which is not the case of “The dismantle invention of fate”.

'The surfer': A science fiction story which may be appropriate for adolescents

by Nancy Nieto

It is interesting to highlight that not all adolescents enjoy reading books, but there are some elements or materials which encourage them to do it. Within literature, adolescents have the opportunity to choose books or stories which may be appealing for them.  Young Adult Literature (YAL) gathers many of characteristics interesting for adolescents. Many YAL authors like Small, an academic style in YAL, provide an overview of this type of literature. They incorporate attractive elements in books to engage young readers.  The surfer”, a science fiction story written by Kelly Link, can be an example of YAL since it follows some of Small´s characteristics. In this particular story,  young characters and themes related to teens are the characteristics that can be identified.

As Small (cited in Herz and Gallo,1996) points out, there are some characteristics which are unique to Young Adult stories, and adolescents feel attracted by them. They are:

-the main character is a teenager
-events and problems in the plot are related to teenagers
-the main character is the center of the plot
-dialogue reflects teenage speech, including slang

Considering  these characteristics teenagers may enjoy reading some interesting stories like the surfer. Kelly Link presents a talented soccer-player who plans to be the best athlete all over the world. One day he is kidnapped by his father doctor, when the population suffers a flu pandemic. Dorn travels by plane to Costa Rica, and there he and all the passengers are carried to a hangar in quarantine, until the pandemic ends.

As I have just mentioned, young characters are considered by YAL appealing for teenage readers in “The surfer”. Dorn is a young and selfish soccer-player who thinks about himself and does not care about other people. When he shares his interests and opinions with other people in the hangar, he realizes he should change his mind. Throughout the story, the character gradually changes his personality, the way he thinks and behaves  towards other people.

Another important characteristic mentioned in Small´s list is the presence of themes  related to teenagers. Future is an important issue developed by Kelly Link. Throughout the story, she presents young  characters who plan their future while they are in quarantine. The hangar is a place that helps them to reflect about their lives and plan what they want to achieve in their future.  According to Professor Robert Havigurst of the University of Chicago, teens have eleven developmental tasks they must complete to make it to adulthood. One of them is, “begin to consider how they will occupy themselves as adults and which profession  they will pursue”.

To conclude, “The surfer” by Kelly Link can be considered a story for adolescents since it fits  Small´s characteristics . The presence of these elements are important to engage young readers in YAL. They feel attractive by this type of literature.

HORROR STORIES OR YOUNG ADULT NOVELS

by Betina Ricchezza        

Why cannot teachers encourage their adolescent students as readers? Can it be because teachers do not choose appealing adolescent novels?

It is important that teachers read about Young Adult Literature (YAL) in order to become familiar with the literary quality of Young Adult (YA) novels and to appreciate the style of writing they present. Teachers usually choose traditional stories of horror and mystery without taking into account that YA novels are specifically addressed to adolescents. YA authors write these novels having in mind a teenage audience. A horror story can be attractive to adolescents but it is not written to describe their life. This is the case of “The Visitor”, written by Jack Ketchun. This is a short story about zombies which is not a case of YAL.

According to Robert C. Small Jr., there are some important characteristics that are unique to YA books. These characteristics are used to describe and reflect the realities of teenage life.  Small points out that in YA novels, the main character is a teenager, who is the center of the plot, and he/she is usually intelligent, perceptive and independent; the events and problems in the plot are related to teenagers and the dialogues reflect teenage speech. These are the characteristics that appeal adolescents as readers because they feel identified.

As regards “The visitor”, the characteristics above mentioned are not present in the story.  It is just a horror story about dead people who come back from their graves. The main character is not an adolescent and the plot is not related to realities of teenage life. This story is not specifically addressed to adolescents.

YAL gained popularity among teenagers due to the universal themes it deals with. Some of them are teenage pregnancy, drugs, family conflicts, discrimination and social injustice among others. All these themes are appealing to teenagers because they can experiment them in their everyday life. In the case of “The Visitor”, due to it is not a YA book, adolescents encounter the lack of similarities with their real own world. Teachers can incorporate YA novels to their lessons and adolescent students can benefit from reading them.