Problem novel

Problem novel

Problem novel is a term used to refer to a sub-genre of young adult literature that deal exclusively with an adolescent's first confrontation with a social or personal ill. The term was first used in the late 1960s to differentiate contemporary works like "The Outsiders" from earlier fiction for adolescents. The term is rather loosely defined. RoseMary Honnold in "The Teen Reader's Advisor" defines them as dealing more with characters from lower-class families and their problems; being "grittier"; using more realistic language; and including dialects, profanity, and poor grammar when it fits the character and setting. Sometimes, "problem novel" is used almost interchangeably with "young adult novel"; but many YA novels do not fit these criteria. The term is increasingly used in a negative fashion, and is rarely used by children's literature journals such as "The ALAN Review".

Notable problem novels:"Catcher in the Rye", often considered one of the progenitors of modern young adult literature, is sometimes considered a problem novel.

"The Outsiders" (1967) and "The Pigman" are problem novels written specifically for teenagers. However, Sheila Egoff notes in "Thursday's Child: Trends and Patterns in Contemporary Children's Literature" that the Newbery Award winning novel "It's Like This, Cat" (1964) may have established "the problem novel formula." "Go Ask Alice" is an early example of the subgenre and is often considered an example of the negative aspects of the form.

References

* cite book
last = Eccleshare
first = Julia
editor = Peter Hunt, ed.
title = International Companion Encyclopedia of Children's Literature
origyear = 1996
publisher = Routledge
location = London
pages = 387-396
chapter = Teenage Fiction: Realism, romances, contemporary problem novels
* cite book
last = Egoff
first = Sheila
editor = Shiela Egoff, ed.
title = Only Connect: readings on children's literature
edition = 2nd
origyear = 1980
publisher = Oxford University Press
location = Ontario
pages = 356-369
chapter = The Problem Novel
* cite book
last = Egoff
first = Sheila
title = Thursday's Child: Trends and Patterns in Contemporary Children's Literature
origyear = 1981
publisher = American Library Association
location = Chicago
chapter = The Problem Novel
*cite journal
first = Isaac
last = Gilman
year = 2005
month = September
title = Shutting the Window: The Loss of Innocence in Twentieth-Century Children's Literature
journal = The Looking Glass
volume = 9
issue = 3
url = http://www.the-looking-glass.net/rabbit/v9i3/legacy5.html
*cite journal
first = Alleen Pace
last = Nilsen
year = 1994
month = April
title = That Was Then ... This Is Now
journal = School Library Journal
volume = 40
issue = 4
pages = 62–70


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