Transgendered Teen

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background

      Young-adult fiction (often abbreviated as YAdult fiction or simply YA) is fiction written for, published for, or marketed to adolescents and young adults, roughly ages 14 to 21. Young-adult fiction, whether in the form of novels or short stories, has distinct attributes that distinguish it from the other age categories of fiction: Adult fiction, Middle Grade Fiction, and Children's Fiction. The majority of YA stories portray an adolescent as the protagonist, rather than an adult or a child. The subject matter and story lines are typically consistent with the age and experience of the main character, but beyond that YA stories span the entire spectrum of fiction genres. The settings of YA stories are limited only by the imagination and skill of the author. YA novels are often as short as 16000 words. Writing styles of YA stories range widely, from the richness of literary style to the clarity and speed of the unobtrusive. Despite its unique characteristics, YA shares the fundamental elements of fiction with other stories: character, plot, setting, theme, and style.[1]

      In the 1950s, two novels drew the attention of adolescent readers: The Catcher in the Rye (1951), and Lord of the Flies (1954). Nowadays some writers like Stephenie Meyer (born 1973): American creator of the popular vampire romance franchise Twilight and J. K. Rowling (born 1965)[2] are also categorized as writers of young adult fiction.

      Regarding the themes of Young Adult stories:

      “Themes in YA stories often focus on the challenges of youth, so much so that the entire age category is sometimes referred to as problem novels[3] or coming of age[4] novel. From its very beginning, young-adult fiction has portrayed teens confronting situations and social issues that have pushed the edge of then-acceptable content. Such novels and their content are sometimes referred to as edgy.”[5]

      YA novels currently in print—despite... [continues]

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