English 183 - Fall, 2011

Adolescent Literature

Class Information

Instructor: Lauro, Sarah
CRN: 83711
Time: TR 1:40-3:00
Location: 2 Wellman

Description

At a time when adolescent literature is in the cultural spotlight, with a multi-million dollar industry and blockbuster films being based on book series such as Harry Potter and Twilight, it is necessary to step back and consider the boundaries of the genre. This class will work chronologically across the twentieth century, beginning with one of the first Nancy Drew mysteries, to present day popular ado-lit (such as Gossip Girl). We will read literature written for adolescents and a few classics about adolescents that have reach beyond the category in order to investigate how depictions of young adults and literature marketed to them has changed. Specifically, we will look at issues of sexuality, gender, and race, and investigate the various ways that power is portrayed in these novels. In our writing assignments, we will often work comparatively, looking at how a particular issue (such as class, femininity, or heroism) was represented in the early part of the 20th century versus the latter, in order to draw conclusions about how real world events and social attitudes shape the genre at every moment.

Grading

Attendance and Participation: 10%
Quizzes and Short Writing Assignments: 20%
Short Paper: 20%
Long Paper: 30%
Final Exam: 20%

Texts

The Clue in the Diary, Carolyn Keene
The Scarlet Macaw Scandal, Carolyn Keene
Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
A Wizard of Earthsea, Ursula LaGuin
Are You There Got, It's Me, Margaret?, Judy Blume
The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
Rumblefish, SE Hinton
I am The Cheese, Robert Cormier
Sweet Valley High, Book 1 "Double Love", Francine Pascale
The Watchmen #1, Moore & Gibbons
The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros
Gossip Girl, Cecily Von Ziegesar
Luna, Julie Anne Peters
Uglies, Scott Westerfield
Twilight, Stephanie Meyer