CATCHER IN THE RYE & Young Adult Literature

[ConnieAnnKirk]

I'm giving this topic a thread of its own.  Join me in talking about this!

[ConnieAnnKirk]

Rosei's post copied from another thread:

Hi Connie!

First of all I love this month's pick! Concerning your question, I think The Catcher goes further in the popularity of YA novels. I find a lack of deepness on these protagonists' construction, which doesn't happen with Holden. In my opinion he is a very complex character compared to today's teenagers protagonists. He is someone we love and hate at the same time, someone clever and conscious about people, places and life itself. Nowadays characters seem weak in emotion, point of view and reality evaluation. Of course this can sound very dissonant once these characters are just teenagers, but I also find teens to be very intelligent and people with strong opinions. They are discovering so many things about life and having many different experiences, so why to be represented naively?

In addition, Holden has a sense of achievement through experience and decision what makes him more mature, even if he is in his teens.

Thanks for the choice

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Reply:

I think you make a good point, Rosei, about the difference in protagonists between Holden Caulfield and many of the teen protagonists in YA lit. today in terms of complexity.  Many of the teen characters/narrators today don't seem nearly as complex.  One wonders why.  That is the age when complexity and not being sure of things, questioning, etc. is blown wide open.  Why are the teens in today's novels seemingly just dealing with one major social "issue," but not really fully developed as characters in other ways, do you think?

Or do others of you disagree?  Can you think of a YA main character from a more contemporary novel who is as mult-dimensional as Holden Caulfield? 

[Rosei]

A more contemporary character that calls my attention is Nora Grey, in Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush Hush. She is not really as multi-dimensional as Holden, but I find her less narrow than other YA protagonists. She has strong opinions and an understanding of life that is interesting. And she also cultivates the questioning and wondering that are typical from YA.

Hugs!

[ConnieAnnKirk]

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Rosei wrote:

A more contemporary character that calls my attention is Nora Grey, in Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush Hush. She is not really as multi-dimensional as Holden, but I find her less narrow than other YA protagonists. She has strong opinions and an understanding of life that is interesting. And she also cultivates the questioning and wondering that are typical from YA.

Hugs!

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Rosei--Did you read HUSH, HUSH in the "First Look" Book Club here at BN.com?  That's where I first came across it.

[Loves2ReadKR]

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ConnieK wrote:

Rosei's post copied from another thread:

Hi Connie!

First of all I love this month's pick! Concerning your question, I think The Catcher goes further in the popularity of YA novels. I find a lack of deepness on these protagonists' construction, which doesn't happen with Holden. In my opinion he is a very complex character compared to today's teenagers protagonists. He is someone we love and hate at the same time, someone clever and conscious about people, places and life itself. Nowadays characters seem weak in emotion, point of view and reality evaluation. Of course this can sound very dissonant once these characters are just teenagers, but I also find teens to be very intelligent and people with strong opinions. They are discovering so many things about life and having many different experiences, so why to be represented naively?

In addition, Holden has a sense of achievement through experience and decision what makes him more mature, even if he is in his teens.

Thanks for the choice

*****************

Reply:

I think you make a good point, Rosei, about the difference in protagonists between Holden Caulfield and many of the teen protagonists in YA lit. today in terms of complexity.  Many of the teen characters/narrators today don't seem nearly as complex.  One wonders why.  That is the age when complexity and not being sure of things, questioning, etc. is blown wide open.  Why are the teens in today's novels seemingly just dealing with one major social "issue," but not really fully developed as characters in other ways, do you think?

Or do others of you disagree?  Can you think of a YA main character from a more contemporary novel who is as mult-dimensional as Holden Caulfield? 

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It has been quite some time since I last read Catcher in the Rye. However, I remember reading it while being a teenager and finding myself perplexed by Holden. As Rosei noted, Holden is a protagonist you both love and hate. I found it so hard at times to even what to read on because I found him a bit irritating. However, to answer the question about why teens in novels today are not as fully developed, I believe it is due to fear. I think that authors are sometimes afraid to create a character that will at times be unlikable and maybe not seen as heroic or idealistic. Instead of creating a character who is completely developed, flaws and all, they create one strong positive dimension. Negative aspects may be thrown in, but these negative qualities are not dwelled upon. Readers often look for books to be an escape, and creating a character who is completely developed and human runs the risk of a reader not liking the character and therefore disregarding the book.

[ConnieAnnKirk]

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Loves2ReadKR wrote:

It has been quite some time since I last read Catcher in the Rye. However, I remember reading it while being a teenager and finding myself perplexed by Holden. As Rosei noted, Holden is a protagonist you both love and hate. I found it so hard at times to even what to read on because I found him a bit irritating. However, to answer the question about why teens in novels today are not as fully developed, I believe it is due to fear. I think that authors are sometimes afraid to create a character that will at times be unlikable and maybe not seen as heroic or idealistic. Instead of creating a character who is completely developed, flaws and all, they create one strong positive dimension. Negative aspects may be thrown in, but these negative qualities are not dwelled upon. Readers often look for books to be an escape, and creating a character who is completely developed and human runs the risk of a reader not liking the character and therefore disregarding the book.

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Thanks, Loves2Read--I see what you mean.  It's as though characters have to be good or bad, strong or weak, smart or not, pretty or plain, fantasy or human, etc.  Where's the nuance?  Don't YA authors think/know that young readers can accept and understand characters who are mixtures of both of these elements, like real people?

Holden Caulfield is such a mixture, even in one scene, one page, one sentence--that's one of the reasons I think the book has lasted.

There is so much fantasy in young adult lit. right now.  I think this lends itself to these stark contrasts.  I'd love to see more literary YA titles.