Adolescent and older child realist fiction : how to tell the truth without tears

Abstract

The object of this dissertation is to examine the different narratological features used to write novels: point of view, narrator, textual organisation etc. of problem novels, which cause them to be categorised into the following separate subcategories: young adult problem novels, crossover problem novels and adult problem novels. As the title suggests this dissertation is interested in the different ways in which problem narratives can be related using an emotive or documentary style, and the way this style relates to the ultimate subcategorisation of the novel. Chapter 1 will contain a brief discussion, functioning as a literature review, of young adult problem novels written by Jacqueline Wilson, who is author of the young adult primary text selected for this dissertation, and Melvin Burgess, An Na and Chris Lynch. The latter three authors were selected in order to give a comprehensive overview of the subcategory, as their style and approach to young adult fiction is radically different from Wilson's. The identification and analysis of the differences which emerge from an examination of these subcategories, and the way in which the adult writers must adapt novels according to their targeted demographic, will also be a target of the study. Three novels will be discussed and examined in greater detail: Dustbin Baby (2001) by Jacqueline Wilson which is a young adult problem novel, White Oleander (1999) by Janet Fitch, classed as a crossover problem novel, and Angela's Ashes (1996) by Frank McCourt which is a problem novel written for adult readership. The conclusion will discuss whether these subcategories are fundamentally different to one another, or whether the subcategorisation process utilised by publishers is purely a superficial and unnecessary one.