fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2664 ]

[ SECRET POST #2664 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2664 ⌋

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 075 secrets from Secret Submission Post #381.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 1 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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Fine, I'll just come out and say it: I'm sick of "young adult" fiction. I hate the label. What does that even mean? When I was a teenager (I'm 26 now), I read everything. Still do and have always done - if a book was 'too difficult' for me or I couldn't get into it or whatever, I just put it down.

I would've been offended by having a dumbed down version of adult books reserved for me in a special corner of the bookstore.* Like, what the hell? Not to mention that this genre seems especially formulaic ("strong heroine," anyone?)

It's great to have teenage protagonists, yes. But it's great to have any sort of protagonist - whoever came up with the idea that teenagers can only read about teenagers? What is this fuckery. I get children's lit - yep, I see the need for having that distinction. But young adult? What a contradiction in terms that title is.

*I've only started to notice the young adult trend here in the past couple of years, I didn't really notice it when I was a "young adult."

I strongly agree with everything in this comment.

Hi stella.

stella is not the only person who dislikes YA.

You sound butthurt.

I'm the OP.

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

dethtoll - 2014-04-19 22:54 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

seventh_seal - 2014-04-19 22:59 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

dethtoll - 2014-04-19 23:00 (UTC) - Expand

(reply from suspended user)

I would've been offended by having a dumbed down version of adult books reserved for me in a special corner of the bookstore.

Oh wow.

Look: historically "young adult" just meant books about teenage themes. It's only blown up recently because apparently adults now like reading about teenage vampires maybe fucking.

whoever came up with the idea that teenagers can only read about teenagers?

Absolutely no one. Cool your jets. For fuck's sake, you're 26. Stop this teenage bullshit.

Edited 2014-04-19 21:39 (UTC)

i hate to agree with chard but this comment is spot on.

Perfectly said.

Yep.

Yeah. My mom's a YA writer, and this is how she always classifies YA books. Books centered on teenagers and teenage themes (Coming of age, search for identity, etc). It shouldn't be "dumbed-down" adult novels, it just caters to a certain group.

you're gonna totally flip out when you hear about 'new adult'

NAYRT

Haha, "new adult". Personally, I hate this ridiculous "genre" much more than the YA dystopian steampunk vampire trend. At least most of those books aren't trying to be highbrow and profound.

What, no, Googled it, oh god, the stupid, it kills me, why :(

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

caecilia - 2014-04-19 21:49 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

seventh_seal - 2014-04-19 22:10 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

caecilia - 2014-04-19 22:16 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

seventh_seal - 2014-04-19 22:37 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

caecilia - 2014-04-19 23:01 (UTC) - Expand

i thought you were joking but the reactions to it made me google it and OH MY GOD.

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

caecilia - 2014-04-19 23:03 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

dethtoll - 2014-04-19 23:07 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

(Anonymous) - 2014-04-20 02:03 (UTC) - Expand

I guess I'm the only one in this thread who doesn't get why the idea of this genre is so ridiculous. It's just categorizing by age of protagonist and themes related to that age.

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

caecilia - 2014-04-20 02:42 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

inkdust - 2014-04-20 02:55 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

(Anonymous) - 2014-04-20 03:23 (UTC) - Expand

I'm very tempted to flip my table here.

Easy peasy. You like reading for the sake of reading. Not all people do. It's not bad. End of story.

The young adult definition isn't there to 'segregate' teenagers from other books, Teenagers are free to read whatever they like. Young adult fiction just has themes that are potentially more appealing or relatable to teenagers and pre-teens, which is why it's labelled as such.
Honestly, as an adult I'm capable of enjoying both young adult fiction and serious literature. There's no reason why there can't be both. (And some adult fic is just as low quality the cheesiest YA stuff. Just saying.)

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

seventh_seal - 2014-04-19 21:58 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

caecilia - 2014-04-19 22:14 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

(Anonymous) - 2014-04-19 22:33 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

seventh_seal - 2014-04-19 22:43 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

caecilia - 2014-04-19 23:00 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

seventh_seal - 2014-04-19 23:15 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

caecilia - 2014-04-20 00:08 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

seventh_seal - 2014-04-19 22:34 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

applemagpie - 2014-04-19 23:05 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

cbrachyrhynchos - 2014-04-19 23:51 (UTC) - Expand

You remind me of that kid who was complaining about adultism.

"(I'm 26 now),..."

"*I've only started to notice the young adult trend here in the past couple of years, I didn't really notice it when I was a "young adult.""

Given that it's been a publishing thing since before you were first learning to write your name in crayon, this statement says more about your state of awareness than about the trend.

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

seventh_seal - 2014-04-20 04:11 (UTC) - Expand

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

cbrachyrhynchos - 2014-04-20 21:25 (UTC) - Expand

I missed the trend entirely because I've had the heart of a stodgy 50-year-old since grade school and even back then YA seemed a bit too twee for me.

Which is my loss, since so much "serious", "adult" fantasy/sci-fi is deeply misogynistic (especially back then). That's changing now, but it would have been good to have known a few more relatable heroines in my youth. I probably would have had less of an embarrassing "fuck girly things!!!!11" period as a teenager.

Luckily, that's changed dramatically these days. You can only read Gibson and LeGuin's shit so many times.

Has it occurred to you that the category may exist as much for the convenience of older people who are long since over and done with their teen angst and coming-of-age issues, as for the younger people to whom those themes may still be personally relevant? I rather appreciate the warning, personally.

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

(Anonymous) - 2014-04-20 08:29 (UTC) - Expand

That whole teens reading books about teens largely comes from the publishers, I think. When I was a pre-teen/teen, YA didn't exist as the huge market we have today, it was just... books more aimed at coming-of-age themes, or more complex versions of childrens' literature, that sort of thing. But publishers like neat categories and according to them, YA is pretty strictly defined by the age of the characters.

*shrug* I know, it's dumb. New Adult is even stupider, if you ask me. It's like a tacit acknowledgement that lots of college age and above readers want books with adult characters and sex, but at the maturity and reading comprehension level of Twilight.

Re: Young Adult Literature, I still don't get it (a rant)

(Anonymous) - 2014-04-20 04:05 (UTC) - Expand

In my country there is no such category, they are all labeled "children's books". Maybe that helps you understand the genre better?

A child (say, an 11 year old girl) reading about a strong female 17 year old may find ways to deal with the questions she could have in her own life. A 26 year old woman probably isn't garnering the same things out of the same book.

I'm 42. I like reading 'young adult' fiction because I'm sick to death of 'adult' female protagonists either being prudes or promiscuous...women who just want a man to save them and have his babies...or women who are self-proclaimed hard-asses who fuck as many men as possible until one comes along and saves them [i]against their will[/i]

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