Postmodernism And Adolescence The Outsiders - 1196 Words

Postmodernism refuses to be pinned down and defined by a set of definitive characteristics or parameters. Its fluid definition begs to be poked and prodded, unwilling to offer a solid answer of what constitutes a Postmodern text. Similarly, the construct of adolescent identity ebbs and flows, now influenced by the advent of social media and its new genre of storytelling. Postmodernism and adolescence together form an interesting perspective that has been catalyzed by Young Adult Literature. The disregard for Young Adult Literature as a substantive genre worthy of critical study mirrors the cultural disregard for adolescence as a valid human experience, a tension that can be alleviated by a Postmodern reading of YA texts. Postmodern themes have been creeping into Young Adult Literature for decades, testing the water to see if this genre could host its disruptive behaviors and outlandish ideas. S.E. Hinton’s 1967 novel, The Outsiders, plays with tenets of Postmodern fiction but does not fully submerse itself in the chaos of the theory. Hinton’s book toes the line between a traditional linear text and that of a full-on Postmodern novel, such as W.D. Myers’s turn of the century publication Monster. Evidenced by scholarly studies of the novel’s tropes and themes, Monster embodies YAL’s embrace of Postmodernism and fits snugly within the generally agreed upon characteristics of the theory both in form and content. More recent and less critically studied, John Green’s The Fault inShow MoreRelatedChildren Of Dust : A Memoir Of Pakistan1362 Words   |  6 Pagesveneration and determination for his religion. Likewise this agreement did without a doubt control his life for the accompanying thirty years. As a child encountering youth in a Pakistan desert town, he cheerfully gets a handle on the sweetness of his adolescence and young manliness among his mother and father, Ammi and Pops, with all the fondness and strictness of a Muslim family in a Muslim country, enveloped by diverse grandparents, close relatives, uncles, and cousins. I especially loved his delineationsRead MoreThe Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao : Gender And Identity1837 Words   |  8 Pagesa nerd which leads to the lack of romance in his adolescence and adulthood. In an article by Joori Joyce Lee it says: â€Å"Growing up as a ghetto nerd, or a smart kid in a poor-ass community, Diaz felt like a mutant because he found himself to be an outsider in both the Dominican subculture and mainstream white American society.† (Lee, pg 23). Oscar could never really fit in with his peers or even with Dominicans, he is always considered an outsider to them. â€Å"Everybody noticed his lack of game and