There’s a negative stereotype of teenage readers as naively absorbed in their favourite books – think of young readers obsessed with Harry Potter. But Jill Richards believes that the best books and films aimed at teenagers actually create space to think for yourself. These works invite us to relate to them as fans, but in contrast to the stereotype of fans loving everything about their favourite fictional universe, Jill argues that fandom is about mixed feelings – loving some aspects of a work and rejecting others – and thus making it your own.
Bonus clip
Click here to listen to a bonus clip of Jill explaining how the teenager was invented as a new kind of consumer, and click here for a bonus clip about a Danish YA novel that takes anti-moralizing to disturbing extremes.
Works mentioned
– Benjamin Alire Sáenz, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
– J. K. Rowling, the Harry Potter series
– Nnedi Okorafor, Akata Witch
– Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
– Suzanne Collins, the Hunger Games series
– Elena Ferrante, the Neapolitan Novels
– Janne Teller, Nothing
Further reading
Jill Richards at Post45 – Weepies, Women, and the Fault in Our Stars
Kyle Fowle at AV Club – We’re talking about young adult fiction all wrong
Holly Genovese at LitHub – In the Wake of Trump, YA Novels Highlight Immigrant Narratives
Marah Gubar at Public Books – Body Projects: The Killer Makeover in Recent YA Dystopias
Angela Haupt at Washington Post – How ‘The Outsiders,’ ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘The Hunger Games’ transformed YA fiction
Maureen Johnson at The Guardian – Yes, teen fiction can be dark – but it shows teenagers they aren’t alone
Louis Peitzman at Buzzfeed – Teenagers Were Not Invented In The 1940s