Constructing Adolescence in Fantastic Realism

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Constructing Adolescence in Fantastic Realism by Alison Waller, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Alison Waller ISBN: 9781135904623
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: December 22, 2010
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Alison Waller
ISBN: 9781135904623
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: December 22, 2010
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Constructing Adolescence in Fantastic Realism examines those fundamental themes which inform our understanding of "the teenager"—themes that emerge in both literary and cultural contexts. Models of adolescence do not arise solely from discourses of psychology, sociology, and education. Rather, these models—frameworks including developmentalism, identity formation, social agency, and subjectivity in cultural space—can also be found represented symbolically in fantastic tropes such as metamorphosis, time-slip, hauntings, doppelgangers, invisibility, magic gifts, and witchcraft. These are the incredible, supernatural, and magical elements that invade the everyday and diurnal world of fantastic realism.

In this original study, Alison Waller proposes a new critical term to categorize a popular and established genre in literature for teenagers: young adult fantastic realism. Though fantastic realism plays a crucial part in the short history of young adult literature, up until now this genre has typically been overlooked or subsumed into the wider class of fantasy. Touching on well-known authors including Robert Cormier, Melvin Burgess, Gillian Cross, Margaret Mahy, K.M. Peyton and Robert Westall, as well as previously unexamined writers, Waller explores the themes and ideological perspectives embedded in fantastic realist novels in order to ask whether parallel realities and fantastic identities produce forms of adolescence that are dynamic and subversive. One of the first studies to deal with late twentieth-century fantastic literature for young adults, this book makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of adult attitudes toward adolescent identity.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Constructing Adolescence in Fantastic Realism examines those fundamental themes which inform our understanding of "the teenager"—themes that emerge in both literary and cultural contexts. Models of adolescence do not arise solely from discourses of psychology, sociology, and education. Rather, these models—frameworks including developmentalism, identity formation, social agency, and subjectivity in cultural space—can also be found represented symbolically in fantastic tropes such as metamorphosis, time-slip, hauntings, doppelgangers, invisibility, magic gifts, and witchcraft. These are the incredible, supernatural, and magical elements that invade the everyday and diurnal world of fantastic realism.

In this original study, Alison Waller proposes a new critical term to categorize a popular and established genre in literature for teenagers: young adult fantastic realism. Though fantastic realism plays a crucial part in the short history of young adult literature, up until now this genre has typically been overlooked or subsumed into the wider class of fantasy. Touching on well-known authors including Robert Cormier, Melvin Burgess, Gillian Cross, Margaret Mahy, K.M. Peyton and Robert Westall, as well as previously unexamined writers, Waller explores the themes and ideological perspectives embedded in fantastic realist novels in order to ask whether parallel realities and fantastic identities produce forms of adolescence that are dynamic and subversive. One of the first studies to deal with late twentieth-century fantastic literature for young adults, this book makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of adult attitudes toward adolescent identity.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book An African Athens by Alison Waller
Cover of the book Draw on Your Emotions by Alison Waller
Cover of the book The Role of English Teaching in Modern Japan by Alison Waller
Cover of the book Applying Luhmann to Translation Studies by Alison Waller
Cover of the book The Rise and Fall of the Italian Film Industry by Alison Waller
Cover of the book An Introduction to Financial Markets and Institutions by Alison Waller
Cover of the book Social Capital and Social Cohesion in Post-Soviet Russia by Alison Waller
Cover of the book New Essays on Thomas Reid by Alison Waller
Cover of the book Rethinking Israeli Space by Alison Waller
Cover of the book Illegal Alphabets and Adult Biliteracy by Alison Waller
Cover of the book Israel at the Polls 2006 by Alison Waller
Cover of the book Political Ecologies of Meat by Alison Waller
Cover of the book Security Dynamics in the Former Soviet Bloc by Alison Waller
Cover of the book The Semiotics of Subtitling by Alison Waller
Cover of the book Collective Political Rationality by Alison Waller
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy