ARTICLE: Are Teen Novels Dark and Depraved?



My answer to this, after taking a very thorough young adult lit class and participating in many in depth discussions during my MFA studies is - "no" with a hint of "yes."  The darkness and depravity is what so many readers love.  If there's no conflict, where is the journey for the reader?  I say "no" to the question understanding that, just because there is "dark matter" in a story, doesn't make it harmful.  The story line can provoke a reader to research the subject, feel validated about what he/she is going through and share what they're learning.  Other than that most of these epic, series novels are pretty darned entertaining.  What teen who's living a dull, routine life wouldn't want to get lost in the life drama of Bella (Twilight) or Katniss (Hunger Games)?

YA novels like other genres of literature represent the ups and down of human experience.  Kids are certainly not immune to ups and downs.  YA fiction is here to tell the story of the sometimes forgotten segments of our society: teens.  These stories remind us with both fun and heart wrenching details, about all the embarrassments, love sickness,  fantasy, neverending phases, betrayal, denial, psycho-drama, witchery, bitchery, and trickery that can occur in the life (real or imagined) of any teen. 

I read Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, I don't think it's any more dark or violent than say, Lord of the Flies by William Golding which is considered a classic.  Every generation has their batch of popular books filled with vengeance, violence, food addiction, prejudice, sexual activity and other themes that we (adults) say has no place in the life or mind of a teen. 

Like violent, mindless video games and rated "R" movies, it's a parent's job to know and manage what their teen is viewing, reading and absorbing.  And it's the author's job to keep the stories coming.  Many adults read and enjoy YA books, so they're definitely not just for kids.  Some of my favorite movies from my teen years were all about teens and their angst.  Who could forget "Pretty In Pink", "The Breakfast Club," "Weird Science," "Lost Boys," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," and other teen cult classics.  There's not much difference in these films and the YA books/films that we have today.

Karen Springen's article definitely poses a question that has been tossed around, I'm sure, for years.

From Publishers Weekly
Are Teen Novels Dark and Depraved — or Saving Lives?

By Karen Springen
Jun 09, 2011

It’s been an interesting week in the teen-lit world. On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal published a story that said modern YA novels were “rife with depravity” and “so dark that kidnapping and pederasty and incest and brutal beatings are now just part of the run of things.” The piece immediately set off an Internet frenzy. That night, 13 Little Blue Envelopes author Maureen Johnson started the #YAsaves hashtag with this tweet: “Did YA help you? Let the world know how! Tell your story with a #YAsaves tag. And copy the @wsj for good measure.” Within hours, #YAsaves got 15,000 responses from regular readers and from such big-name writers as Judy Blume and Neil Gaiman. Bloggers — but also writers at major news outlets such as National Public Radio and New York magazine — weighed in.
 The brouhaha is likely to heat up again soon when, according to Meghan Cox Gurdon, author of the story, the Wall Street Journal will “probably” publish a Part Two.  CLICK TO CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE