Young Adult (YA) Literature: Details and Trendsetting

Abstract

Young adult (YA) literature is an evolving genre, with consistent changes occurring in the structure and mode of reading. Along with structural changes, young adult literature pushes controversial boundaries. The research method for this thesis is a literature review that gathers the definition, trends, controversies and benefits of the YA genre. Information retrieved from the literature review resulted in a discovery that young adult genre incorporates the structures of poetry-prose, and graphic novel formatting beyond the typical fiction book structure. Current trends include realistic fiction, romance/sexuality, dystopian fiction, and mixed genre fiction. The boundaries that are pushed within these genres include profane language and explicit sexual content. The benefit of this literature relates to the teen reader and how he/she can experience the realism of the characters’ lives without real life risk.