The Youth Lens: Analyzing Adolescence/ts in Literary Texts

Authors

Robert Petrone, Sophia Tatiana Sarigianides, Mark A. Lewis

Publication

Journal of Literacy Research

Abstract

Drawing from interdisciplinary scholarship that re-conceptualizes adolescence as a cultural construct, this article introduces a Youth Lens. A Youth Lens comprises an approach to textual analysis that examines howideas about adolescence and youth get formed, circulated, critiqued, andrevised. Focused specifically on its application to young adult literature, agenre of writing that explicitly names it audience, this article explores howa Youth Lens provides a much needed critical approach to interpreting andteaching young adult literature within literacy education, especially given the problematic representations of youth in many of these literarytexts. Specifically, this article a) discusses the central assumptions thatgovern a Youth Lens; b) provides an explanation of the lens, includingpublished and new examples and guiding questions; c) presents an in-depthcase of how a Youth Lens illuminates new possibilities forunderstanding The Hunger Games; and, d) offers specific implications aYouth Lens has for the analysis of young adult and other literary texts,approaches to teaching young adult literature courses for pre-service literacy teachers, and secondary literacy pedagogy involving young adult literature and media texts.

Links

 

How is this information collected?

This collection of Montana State authored publications is collected by the Library to highlight the achievements of Montana State researchers and more fully understand the research output of the University. They use a number of resources to pull together as complete a list as possible and understand that there may be publications that are missed. If you note the omission of a current publication or want to know more about the collection and display of this information email Leila Sterman.