Transcript Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Contemporary
Realistic
Fiction
By: Kelly Harper & Cynthia
What is Contemporary Realistic
Fiction?
• Genre that mirrors life
• Books have characters, events, and plots
that have not actually happened in real
life, but could actually happen
• Characters deal with life’s ups and downs
in realistic ways
Genres Within
• Animals
• Humor
• Mystery
• Problem Novels
• Series Books
• Sports
• Survival and Adventure
Major Themes
• Overcoming fears and accepting
responsibilities
• Understanding families, divorce, and
adoption
• Accomplishing goals in sports
• Developing and Maturing
More Themes
• Finding Romance
• Finding friends: Relationships, alienation,
and a sense of belonging
Themes Cont.
• Coping with violence, crime, alcohol, and
drug abuse
• Living with physical and mental disabilities
Themes Cont.
• Coping with death, disease, accidents, and
suicide, and growing old
• Developing an understanding of sexual issues
• Living in global society: politics, war, prejudice,
conflicts, religion
Choosing Quality Literature Within
the Genre
• Realistic Setting
• Credible, non-stereotypical charactersmultidimensional, change over time
• Believable problems, solved in culturally
grounded and realistic ways
• Natural dialogue
• Theme applicable to children’s
lives
How the Genre Has Evolved Over
Time
Time Period
Description
Pre 1960’s
Many realities of human existence (pregnancy,
crime, social injustice, etc) deemed “unsuitable”
for children and not included in children’s
literature
Mid 1960s
American society changes (Vietnam War, civil
rights movement, etc) Effects were too
widespread to hide and young people began to
be seen as full citizens.
Darker subject matter was introduced into
children’s books
1970s- Present
Society continues to change and topics reflecting
that change appear in children’s literature (AIDS,
drugs in schools, inner-city survival, terrorism,
etc.)
Why Realistic Fiction?
• MY Life- shared problems and situations
• Allows children to identify with characters
and deal with issues in a different way
• Judy Blume
R.F. for Young Children
• Barbara Park: Primary
• Paula Danzinger: Primary/mid. school
humor
• Beverly Cleary: Primary/mid school humor
• Judy Blume: Preteen
Notable Pre-teen/Teen Authors
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Judy Blume: teen/pre-teen problem novels
Betsy Byers: Pre teen problem novels
Virginia Hamilton: African Am. Experience
Lois Lowry: teen/pre-teen problem
Phyllis R. Naylor: adolescent humor, animal
stories
Gary Paulsen: survival & adventure fiction
Jerry Spinelli: teen/ pre teen problem
Laurie Halse Anerson: YA problem
Chris Crutcher: YA
R.F. for Older Children
• Carolyn Coman (Many Stones)
• Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak)
• Alex Finn (Breathing Underwater)
Favorites
Notables
• Taboos of literature are tested
• Most popular genre
• Changed drastically over time
• Bibliotherapy
Bibliography
Bucher, K. & Hinton, K. (2010). Young adult literature: Exploration, evaluation, and
appreciation. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Jacobs, J.S. & Tunnell, M.O. (2008). Children’s literature, briefly. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson.