Essay Sample on History and Evolution of Young Adult Literature

Introduction

Young adult fiction (YA) is a classification of fiction purposely for teenagers between the ages of 12 to 18 years. The dialogue used in this category involves slang. Though this category is meant for teenagers, most of its audience is adults. Women writing young adult literature are more than men meaning that girls enjoy reading than boys. The fictions put more effort into the interests of teenagers; for example, peer pressure, drugs, and relationships. They also cover other major topics such as religion, race, and class.

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a dystopian Young Adult novel that contains some genres in it including dystopia, romance, fantasy, adventure and science fiction. The different styles bring in new ideas and change the perception of the audience towards the stories. The Hunger Games show the theme of violence when the audience watches the 24 teenagers murdering each other. In reality, youths are witnessed killing each other in riots, crime, and love affair. The scenes in the films educate children that violence is unpleasant, and it is wrong in society. It comes with consequences that are long term to the victims or the perpetrators.

Young Adult fiction features teenage characters and exposes their problems through the stories. Sex, alcohol, and drugs are the major problems in the teenagers' reality and are reflected in the fiction. The Hunger games try to show the audience the challenges of violence and oppression. The anxieties of the oppressed around the world are seen in the films. Though actions in the films may be exaggerated, they resemble the day to day happenings in the societies. The films create emotions to the teenagers and bring them into a globe that is natural and deliberate. Since Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows started the trend, they have been able to broaden book-to-film adaptations and reflect the realistic world to the Young Adults rather than the fantasy world.

The Hunger Games have encouraged teenagers,' especially girls,' interest in archery. The images they see on the screen represent the reality and are fixed on their minds. The films have in some cases led to an increase in violence. Young Adults can either react positively or negatively to these films. The films can be harmful to teenagers' behaviors when combined with mental illness or personality disorders as they seem real to the audience, unlike the fantasy genre.

The other books that have evolved into Young Adult fiction are the Original Folk and Fairy Tales of Brother Grimm, the Legends in Exile, and Preludes and Nocturnes. These books bring the traditions, legendary people, fairy tales, politics, and the social lives of the people in the ancient world into reality in the modern world. The Legends in Exile gives Young Adults an idea about politics and crime. It depicts the modern-day world as the stories involve murder and misery. Preludes and Nocturnes talk about dark violence, and it is a fantasy story that is good for young readers. Though the images are powerful and disturbing, the artwork is extraordinary and artistic. The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of Brother Grimm is a good book for Young Adults who like fairy tales and animated films. Like the Hunger Games, the images in these books represent the reality, and when the Young Adults watch the films on screen, they may be impacted either negatively or positively. Stories of crime, murder, misery, and dark violence can be harmful to teenagers as they can try experimenting with what they have watched.

References

Basu, B., Broad, K. R., & Hintz, C. (Eds.). (2013). Contemporary dystopian fiction for young adults: Brave new teenagers. Routledge.

Cole, P. B. (2008). Young adult literature in the 21st century.

Collins, S. (2010). Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, Book 1). Scholastic Inc. ISBN-13: 978-0439023528

D'Aulaire, I., & D'Aulaire, Edgar, P. (1992). D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths. Delacorte Books. ISBN-13: 978-0440406945

Gaiman, N. (2010). Preludes and nocturnes (Vol. 1). Vertigo. ISBN-13: 978-1401225759

Grimm, J., & Grimm, W. (2014). The original folk and fairy tales of the brothers Grimm: The complete first edition. Princeton University Press.

Tatar, M. (2003). The hard facts of the Grimms' fairy tales. Princeton University Press.

Willingham, B., & Medina, L. (2012). Fables: Legends in exile (Vol. 1). Vertigo. ISBN-13:978-1401237554