Notable Books From the 1980's & 1990's
- Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson (1980)
- Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers (1983)
- Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal (1983)
- The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (1984)
- The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin (1986)
- Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (1986)
- Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block (1989)
- The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney (1990)
- The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening by L.J. Smith (1991)
- Goosebumps by R.L. Stine (1992)
- The Giver by Lois Lowry (1993)
- Sabriel by Garth Nix (1995)
- Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen (1998)
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (1999)
- Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (1999)
Cover Art:
In concern to the book as artifact, if you take a look at the cover art of popular novels from the 80's and 90's, you will notice that much like the 60's and 70's the colors are still relatively muted, but a wider color span is used in these decades compared to previous. The cover art, where tame in the 40's and 50's is slightly more provocative and intriguing. There was not much change with cover art between the 60's and the 90's, there was still a heavy focus on the depiction of characters and faces. Perks of Being a Wallflower being the noticeable standout with its minimalist cover art that draws readers in to discover what the novel is about.
In concern to the book as artifact, if you take a look at the cover art of popular novels from the 80's and 90's, you will notice that much like the 60's and 70's the colors are still relatively muted, but a wider color span is used in these decades compared to previous. The cover art, where tame in the 40's and 50's is slightly more provocative and intriguing. There was not much change with cover art between the 60's and the 90's, there was still a heavy focus on the depiction of characters and faces. Perks of Being a Wallflower being the noticeable standout with its minimalist cover art that draws readers in to discover what the novel is about.
Common Themes:
Young Adult literature in the 80's and 90's was the start of what was to come. In other words, it began to push the envelope with exploration into sexuality, depression, suicide, drug & alcohol abuse, friendship, love, etc, but was not as heavily exploitative as the 2000's with these topics. This time period also began to see elements of the supernatural seep into the themes of literature and the horror genre in particular with authors such as R.L Stine. Donelson, co-editor of the English Journal and founding editor of The ALAN Review, contends that with YA literature in the 90's, the exploration of hefty topics in YA literature is simply mimicking the increasingly diverse society of the real world (Donelson).
Thinking of it in terms of the book as knowledge, the authors are communicating the changing society. Fundamentally, the way in which we are acknowledging the existence of teens with difficult lives and the interest in the supernatural and fantasy worlds that allow an escape from everyday lives (Palliser).
Young Adult literature in the 80's and 90's was the start of what was to come. In other words, it began to push the envelope with exploration into sexuality, depression, suicide, drug & alcohol abuse, friendship, love, etc, but was not as heavily exploitative as the 2000's with these topics. This time period also began to see elements of the supernatural seep into the themes of literature and the horror genre in particular with authors such as R.L Stine. Donelson, co-editor of the English Journal and founding editor of The ALAN Review, contends that with YA literature in the 90's, the exploration of hefty topics in YA literature is simply mimicking the increasingly diverse society of the real world (Donelson).
Thinking of it in terms of the book as knowledge, the authors are communicating the changing society. Fundamentally, the way in which we are acknowledging the existence of teens with difficult lives and the interest in the supernatural and fantasy worlds that allow an escape from everyday lives (Palliser).
Audiences:
In the 80's and 90's, the audience for young adult fiction was still largely teenagers, with the occasional interest of adult readers. The biggest take away from the readers of the 80's and 90's, however, is that one YA novel will never be read in the same way by every reader. Chartier states "works - even the greatest works, especially the greatest works - have no stable, universal, fixed meaning. They are invested with plural and mobile significations that are constructed in the encounter between a proposal and a reception. The meanings attributed to their forms and their themes depend upon the areas of competence or the expectations of the various publics that take hold of them" (Chartier).
Chartier's point being, that every reader is going to bring their own background and their own experiences to a novel. Essentially that novels have endless potential of what the reader will obtain from it. This is especially true for young adult novels in the 80's and 90's.
In the 80's and 90's, the audience for young adult fiction was still largely teenagers, with the occasional interest of adult readers. The biggest take away from the readers of the 80's and 90's, however, is that one YA novel will never be read in the same way by every reader. Chartier states "works - even the greatest works, especially the greatest works - have no stable, universal, fixed meaning. They are invested with plural and mobile significations that are constructed in the encounter between a proposal and a reception. The meanings attributed to their forms and their themes depend upon the areas of competence or the expectations of the various publics that take hold of them" (Chartier).
Chartier's point being, that every reader is going to bring their own background and their own experiences to a novel. Essentially that novels have endless potential of what the reader will obtain from it. This is especially true for young adult novels in the 80's and 90's.
Cultural Events:
In the 80's and 90's, there was a huge movement for books as weapons, whether that be spreading misinformation, being burned in piles, or even taking the opportunity to speak about hard topics that teenagers of the time may be going through. The 80's and 90's of YA literature was just the tip of what was to come, but it explored the more scandalous topics of the time. This all speaks to the books ability to act as a cultural icon. Novels were being used to normalize or to support teen behavior and emotions, but also to support those teens that needed encouragement.
In the 80's and 90's, there was a huge movement for books as weapons, whether that be spreading misinformation, being burned in piles, or even taking the opportunity to speak about hard topics that teenagers of the time may be going through. The 80's and 90's of YA literature was just the tip of what was to come, but it explored the more scandalous topics of the time. This all speaks to the books ability to act as a cultural icon. Novels were being used to normalize or to support teen behavior and emotions, but also to support those teens that needed encouragement.
Controversial Material:
Although the following decades is when YA literature truly starts to come under fire for its subject matter, the beginnings of concern began in the 80's and 90's. It was not uncommon for the books that were found to be offensive on a personal or societal level to be banned from schools out of fear or 'respect' for religious beliefs. Some public library's even abide to this banning of certain books out of fear of those leading the crusade. A good example of this is The Giver by Lowry, which was the number two banned book most cited as containing inappropriate serious content for teens "His childhood, his friendships, his carefree sense of security-all of these things [seem] to be slipping away. With his new, heightened feelings, he was overwhelmed by sadness" (Lowry 135).
According to Foestel, the best defense of the books that have been banned "is the book itself, when people read it openly and realize that some terrible injustice has been done not only to me, but to the book" (Foestel). Really, we must let the contents of the books speak for themselves.
Although the following decades is when YA literature truly starts to come under fire for its subject matter, the beginnings of concern began in the 80's and 90's. It was not uncommon for the books that were found to be offensive on a personal or societal level to be banned from schools out of fear or 'respect' for religious beliefs. Some public library's even abide to this banning of certain books out of fear of those leading the crusade. A good example of this is The Giver by Lowry, which was the number two banned book most cited as containing inappropriate serious content for teens "His childhood, his friendships, his carefree sense of security-all of these things [seem] to be slipping away. With his new, heightened feelings, he was overwhelmed by sadness" (Lowry 135).
According to Foestel, the best defense of the books that have been banned "is the book itself, when people read it openly and realize that some terrible injustice has been done not only to me, but to the book" (Foestel). Really, we must let the contents of the books speak for themselves.
Citations:
Chartier, Roger. The order of books: readers, authors, and libraries in Europe between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries. Stanford University Press, 2007.
Donelson, Kenneth L., and Alleen Pace Nilsen. Literature for Today's Young Adults. 8th ed. Glenview, IL: Pearson, 2009. Pearson Education, Inc.
Foerstel, Herbert N. Banned in the USA: a reference guide to book censorship in schools and public libraries. Greenwood, 2002.
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
Palliser, Charles. “The Appeal of the Gothic.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 Oct. 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-palliser-/the-appeal-of-the-gothic_b_4175007.html.
Chartier, Roger. The order of books: readers, authors, and libraries in Europe between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries. Stanford University Press, 2007.
Donelson, Kenneth L., and Alleen Pace Nilsen. Literature for Today's Young Adults. 8th ed. Glenview, IL: Pearson, 2009. Pearson Education, Inc.
Foerstel, Herbert N. Banned in the USA: a reference guide to book censorship in schools and public libraries. Greenwood, 2002.
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Houghton Mifflin, 1993.
Palliser, Charles. “The Appeal of the Gothic.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 Oct. 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/charles-palliser-/the-appeal-of-the-gothic_b_4175007.html.