Week 2, Preparation for Thursday

On Thursday we'll talk about YAL as a genre.  There are quite a few readings listed, so this is what I would like to propose:

• Everyone should read:
• Genre (Dubrow):  How do genres work on us as readers? What do we gain when we approach texts as a particular type of genre? (Pages 39-46 of the coursepack)
• "Young Adult Literature: The State of the Restless Art" (Cart):  What is the history of the YAL genre? Why are these books different than what came before? What are the trends? (Pages 3-12 in coursepack.)
• "What is Young Adult Literature, Anyway?" (Hertz & Gallo):  I guess the title says it all! (Pages 47-50 in coursepack.)

• Optional/Skim to see if you are interested: 
• "Adult books for young adults" (Carter):  What is a "cross-over" book? What does marketing have to do with the way books are categorized and sold? (Pages 13- in the coursepack.)
• "Young Adult Literature" (Crowe): What are the myths about YAL? What titles can dispel those myths? (Pages 27-30 in coursepack.)
• "Young Adult Literature: Rite of Passage or Rite of its Own" (Proukou):  Why is the story of the young adult so appealing to all audiences? How do characters relate to archetypes?
  
• Come prepared to rank which theory group you would like to be in:
• A brief summary of the theories can be found on pp. 451-456 of Tyson's "Critical Theory Today"
• Be sure to consider your schedule--you'll have work to do the week before you present, as well as during the week of your presentation.