Blog 1 - Little Women - An Example of YAL or Classic?

Butler and Hinton define young adult literature “as literature in prose or verse that has excellent form or expression in its genre, provides a unique adolescent point of view, and reflects the concerns, interests, and challenges of contemporary adults” aged 12 to 20 years old (8). The authors then go on to further list common qualities of books that fall into the young adult literature genre. In my opinion the authors provide a great definition and list of qualities that help one determine or classify a book as fitting into the genre of young adult literature. Given the definition and qualities, I would argue that Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is no longer a relevant example of young adult literature. I believe that when it was written and for a number of years thereafter, Little Women was very clearly an example of young adult literature, but that as times have changed, the book no longer meets the needs of young adults aged 12 through 20 and rather just barely meets the needs of young ladies aged 12 and 13.

Little Women was published in 1868 and Alcott admits that she used her own life with her sisters as inspiration for the story (Bucher and Hinton, 2004). She claims to relate mostly to the character Jo Marsh. Times are very different than they were in the mid-to-late 1800s. The first quality that Butler and Hinton claim to define young adult literature is that it should reflect young adults' age and development by addressing their reading abilities, thinking levels, and interest levels” (9). The main characters are four sisters aged sixteen through twelve. I do think that book meets this first quality, as the characters are the same age as the readers. I also feel that the book is written in a way that meets the readers' reading abilities and that the writing style is especially appropriate for those aged 12 to 13. I fear that once the readers' reach the age of 14, the book may have less appeal.

The thinking levels and interest levels of young adults living in the 21^st century are much different than those living in the 19^th century. Although, many argue that Little Women is a timeless novel, I disagree. I find there to be a mixture of timeless and contemporary issues that the Marsh sisters face, yet just not enough timeless elements to hold it as a true example of young adult literature. Butler and Hinton state the novels should include topics such as dealing with parents and other adults in authority; facing illness and death; dealing with peer pressure, specifically relating to drugs, alcohol, and sexual experimentation; and facing the realities of pregnancy and addiction (10). Some examples of the timeless issues that present themselves in the novel are the on-going struggle of trying to impress their Papa when he returns from the war, when Beth gets sick with scarlet fever, the death of the Hummel baby, Papa's illness that Mother has to go tend to, and Mr. Brooke's romantic interest in Meg. These are clear examples of how the girls must deal with parents and other adults in authority, as well as facing illness and death. One example of timeless peer-pressure that comes to mind is when Meg is pressured into a makeover for a ball that she later regrets. Peer-pressure is something that tends to shift with current culture. Most of what adolescents are being pressured into by their peers has changed with time, especially for young ladies.

Due to the change that occurs with time, I am not sure that this novel adequately considers world perspectives, especially cultural and gender diversity, which is the final quality that Bucher and Hinton claim relevant in distinguishing a book as young adult literature (10). The book is written from the perspective of four young sisters and therefore, does not meet the needs of young boys. Many of the chapters have life lessons or morals at the end that the reader is to learn from the characters' experiences. While some of these are timeless lessons, I find them all to be based off of out-dated experiences. For example, when Amy takes the lemons to school and gets in trouble as a result, she learns that is not okay to show off what you have. A good lesson, but the entire experience would be hard for young adolescents of the 21^st century to relate to their daily lives. Teachers are no longer allowed to hit students nor is the example of bringing lemons to divvy out to your friends something that would be done by young adolescents of the 21^st century. Perhaps some would argue that the lesson itself and the example are timeless enough, but I disagree.

Given the fact that Little Women is not as timeless as many would argue, I find many of the experiences would be hard to relate to for readers. I would like to read this book with or have my young girl of 12 or 13 read this book, however I don't see my son reading it nor do I see a 14 year-old girl or older reading it simply because the issues no longer stand true for that age group in the 21^st century. With all of this in mind, I do not find Little Women to be a true example of young adult literature, but rather an example of a classic or literary canon - a term used widely to refer to a group of literary works that are considered the most important of a particular time period or place. Perhaps it could have a place in the secondary classroom when paired with a more authentic young adult piece of literature, but standing alone, I think many students would struggle to read this book. I know I did.