Abstract
Australia is not immune to the universal, and seemingly exponential, growing appeal of bestselling Young Adult fiction. The 2015 Sydney Writers’ Festival, for instance, staged three separate events to reflect the rising popularity of this genre of writing, showcasing successful Australian authors as both panel members and facilitators of discussion related to issues facing the category. While debate touched on familiar points of contention such as the appropriateness and advocacy of content marketed as Young Adult fiction and for young adult readers, discussion centred on the growing appeal Young Adult fiction has for readers, writers, publishers and film-makers. This article extends discourse relating to international bestselling Young Adult fiction and provides research that, in scholarly terms, has eluded significant inquiry thus far. In examining this appeal, this article questions how increased stakeholder involvement is impacting patterns of readership, content, and genre trends within this category of Young Adult fiction. While the degree of change is not measured quantitatively, this research pinpoints strategies and behaviours exhibited by invested groups and institutions, which are affecting change. This builds on work by Heather Scutter and Sue Page, and references Anthony Eaton, who identifies that changing conceptions of young adulthood, in terms of sophistication, is defining how Young Adult fiction is shaped by those who create, produce and consume it (Eaton 2010).
Highlights
Australia is not immune to the universal, and seemingly exponential, growing appeal of bestselling Young Adult fiction
‘Young Adult’ as a contemporary term used to define a market, an audience and a developmental category, is a construct rather than a stable term that neatly defines an age bracket. Scholars describe this literature category, in terms of definition, readership and content, as ‘experiencing an extraordinary shift’ (Wheatley 1994: 13), being in a ‘state of flux’ (Eaton 2007: 205), ‘vexed and varied’ (Chambers 2015: 8) and ‘fast-growing and ever-changing’ (Roy 2015: 2). These assertions correlate with similar views expressed in related fields of study such as psychology (Stringer 1997) and sociology, where Wyn and Woodman credit the ‘post-1970 generations with shaping a new adulthood as a result of governances in education, the labour market, welfare, health and the justice system which have played an important role in redefining the meaning and experience of youth’ (2006: 511)
The examples of bestselling Young Adult fiction in the following research are in no way an exhaustive, or representative list, rather, each title is chosen for its ability to illustrate a particular point or discuss a link between behaviours and strategies exhibited by invested institutions, and changes related to Young Adult fiction
Summary
‘Young Adult’ as a contemporary term used to define a market, an audience and a developmental category, is a construct rather than a stable term that neatly defines an age bracket. As a result of my research, I believe it is difficult to quantify the degree to which these and other institutions affect the content, themes and the reader demographic of Young Adult fiction as, regardless of its level of sophistication, works are predominantly created, marketed and selected for younger audiences by adults This power imbalance extends to institutions that would traditionally be considered safe havens of choice for younger readers such as libraries, schools and award-winning book lists where, even though children and young adults are seen to be making independent choices in terms of their reading, this freedom is subject to the arbitrary selection of works that are made available to them by adults. The examples of bestselling Young Adult fiction in the following research are in no way an exhaustive, or representative list, rather, each title is chosen for its ability to illustrate a particular point or discuss a link between behaviours and strategies exhibited by invested institutions, and changes related to Young Adult fiction
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