Little Women: A Classic Example of Young Adult Literature
Young adult literature is a genre that has proven to be difficult to define. In Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation, Katherine Bucher and KaaVonia Hinton attempt to define young adult literature as "prose or verse that has excellence of form or expression in its genre, provides a unique adolescent point of view, and reflects the concerns, interests, and challenges of contemporary young adults" (8). Based on this definition of young adult literature, Louisa May Alcott's classic tale Little Women can easily be classified within the young adult genre. Alcott's story is beautifully written, employs an adolescent point of view, and is a timeless tale of adolescence, in which readers can identify with the characters and the challenges the face throughout the work.
In Little Women, Alcott presents readers with a piece of prose that is written in excellent form, which is the first standard for young adult literature as defined by Bucher and Hinton. The story is written in a way that is sophisticated yet accessible for adolescent readers. While some of the language is clearly dated and readers can identify that the story was written in another era, the language is not archaic nor difficult to understand. Instead, the prose is easy to comprehend and digest. Beyond the language, Alcott also utilizes some different writing formats in her story including letters from Jo and Amy to their family and poetry in "The Pickwick Portfolio" (140). Alcott's use of these modes of writing is reflective of some more contemporary characteristics of young adult fiction, which includes "journals, diaries, and letters" (Bucher & Hinton 8).
Alcott also employs a unique adolescent point of view in her book as the she shares the perspective of the four sisters as they are growing up and maturing. The writer does not focus solely on one stereotypical character, which allows readers to better indentify with the different perspectives of the girls. The story offers a rebellious tomboy, a shy musician, a materialistic attention-seeker, and a rule follower. Yet, the characters are also so much more than those characteristics. The adolescent perspectives are all unique and offer young adult readers relatable characters that may reflect their own selves, especially Jo who is a relatable character for any girl who has ever felt different or alienated for not fitting into a conventional female role.
Despite the fact that Little Women was written in 1868, the story is still very much reflective of the concerns, interests, challenges of young adults today. For instance, the work contains issues of young love, questioning identity, dealing with death, examining class differences, and dealing with family relationships. These issues are all very much reflective of different concerns and challenges that young people face today. In "Reading Little Women: The Many Lives of a Text," Barbara Sicherman argues that "with its multiple reference points and voices (four sisters, each distinct and recognizable), its depictions of joy as well as sorrow, its fresh and unlabored speech, Alcott's classic has something for everyone" (656). While the text may prove to be difficult to identify with based on the context and time period of the story, the issues presented are timeless and relevant to modern readers. Readers may just have to go beyond the surface to make those connections to their modern world.
The young adult literature genre is still developing, and there are many questions about what truly constitutes young adult literature. The genre can be difficult to define; however, young adults themselves are difficult to define as they have vast differences in growth and development throughout that time period in life, so perhaps that difficulty makes sense. The parameters addressed by Butcher and Hinton are a good start for understanding what constitutes young adult literature. While not all works that fit within those guidelines will be appropriate pieces of young adult literature to examine in the classroom, their definition provides a guide for determining what can even be classified as young adult literature. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a classic example of a work that can fit the mold of a young adult literature book, despite the fact that it not a contemporary novel.
First of all...you write beautifully, I could read your writing all day long. ;)
ReplyDeleteJust to play devil's advocate....is Little Women and example of a classic or YAL? You're sort of arguing both, which I am inclined to agree with you that one can argue either placement. Personally, I labeled it to be more of a classic. It looks like you would argue that it is more of a YAL.
Also, I enjoyed how you said that "Readers may just have to go beyond the surface to make those connections to their modern world."
Thank you, Karisma! Ultimately, I would argue that Little Women is most definitely a classic, but it also meets the criteria of YAL as it was defined by Bucher and Hinton. If I owned a bookstore, I think I would put a copy in both sections.
DeleteHeather,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Karisma; you writing is fun to read. I think, however, that YAL and classics are not mutually exclusive genres. I think there can be an over lap. I liked how you brought out the points Sicherman makes about the language Alcott uses. I think that is a key point. Although the text is from the 1860s, the language is not so antiquated that young adult readers can't understand it.
Karisma, what do you think about an over lap between YAL and classics? Are there other classical texts that could potentially be labeled as YAL?
Heather and Ashley,
DeletePerhaps there could be an overlap of the classics and YAL. In my head, they have always been separate, but I am starting to rethink that belief.
I agree that there is overlap in these categories because the categories themselves are problematic. They attempt to crystallize what a text is, when we *know* that texts themselves change over time and from reader to reader. I think Little Women is both a classic and a work of YAL. I think it can be taught in secondary schools AND in college classrooms.
DeleteHeather,
ReplyDeleteI agree that Little Women is YAL. I especially enjoy that you touched on the sheer range of writing styles that Alcott incorporated into the book. It is astounding to me and as future English teachers, how cool would it be to create a lesson plan that hinges upon the genres of writing found in one book.
I agree also with Ashley. I think that many of our classic texts do fit the definition of YAL that we are exploring.