Pregnancy and Zombies, How Come?

       A whole community forced to build a colony because of zombies, abortion and cinematic narration of events are only some of the many themes and elements used in ‘Sparks Fly Upwards’by Lisa Morton.  In the story, the author uses YAL(Young Adult Literature) which is a literary genre directed to adolescents  containing several specific characteristics that make the narrative quite appealing to young adults.  By combining the previously mentioned elements under the umbrella of the YAL concept, Lisa Morton makes clear her stance on such subjects as teenage pregnancy and abortion.  This raising of taboo topics into debate along with zombies and filmic narrative of the plot, makes the story an excellent fitting product for young adult literature.

     An entire community have to build a whole new place to live since zombies start to appear in southern California, making the living unbearable for human beings. Tom and Sarah, a young couple with three children, are the protagonist of the story.  They live in the ‘colony’, the fortress forcefully built by the terrified Californians.  Unfortunately, in this place, survival is far less comfortable than in the past.  For example, food supply is limited, space to build new houses is reduced and as a result of these two facts, the population cannot grow.  To control these issues, the ‘colony’ has a chairman named Doc Freeman who is in charge of making the important decisions and is the one everybody consults if advices are needed. 

     Robert C Small Jr was able to define the most specific features that build up YAL.  For him in order to attract adolescents’ attention, the story’s events and problems must be related to them. And that is exactly what happens in this story, although Sarah and her husband were already parents, she gets pregnant during the difficult times of the ‘colony’ and this coming of a new babe resembles the tough situation of teenage pregnancy. This is clearly illustrated in this quote[: “We become obsessed with the idea of having a baby again and somehow we would convince Doc Freeman to let us have it.” In this way, the couple acts as if they were teenagers facing the difficult situation of having to tell their parents that they are going to have a baby.

      Unfortunately, the answer to their request is negative and the only solution is to have an abortion. Obviously, the equipment in ´the colony´ is not enough and the couple along with Edward, the only doctor in the ‘colony’ able to deliver the baby, will have to go to the only prenatal clinic in the abandoned town of southern California, but the city’s streets are full of famished zombies who will make the entrance to the clinic a rather difficult task. For this, Sarah, Tom and the doctor arm themselves with pistols, hunting rifles and machetes.  Basically, the author narrates the dangerous trip to the clinic as cinematographically as possible where the protagonists shoot the dreadful zombies or run over them on the way to through. This is another way to make the story attractive to teenagers since is contains guns, killing and suspense.

     The narrator makes clear her stance by saying: “An early fetus is only an extension of the mother’s body and as such each woman has the right to make her own decision”. So, it can be inferred that the story purposely uses elements that easily attract most adolescents with the only aim of putting the author’s voice in the spotlight. Even though the stance leads to heating debate about being in favour or against abortion, the story possess the necessary elements to be considered a case of YAL.

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Teenagers, in need of nothing.

When rejected in love, loneliness can either kill us or makes us stronger. Right, this may sound exaggerated. But what is this dilemma if not a recurrent matter in adolescence? What can be better than a short story to show teenagers’ troubled minds? Written by American author Miranda July, Something That Needs Nothing is a short story included in her successful book No One Belongs Here More Than You. The story describes the days of an unnamed teenager girl who runs away from home with her best friend to begin a new life in the city of Portland.

This intense short story explores a teenage girl’s attraction and affection to her best female friend. Curiosity for sex, rejection in love, and loneliness, are some of the dilemmas that come along with the girls’ relationship.

Covering various types of texts such as novels, short stories and poetry, Young Adult Literature (YAL) is any fiction written and published for adolescents and young adults. Authors such as Robert C. Small Jr., Sara Herz and Donald Gallo go deeper in their explanation of YAL and talk about certain characteristics and themes connected to this area of fiction. Regarding the story, most of the topics introduced in Something That Needs Nothing are related to adolescents. Therefore, teenage readers may feel identified with the main character’s behavior as well as with the main character’s problems. In this sense, Something That Needs Nothing may be considered as a case of YAL.

Considering Robert Small’s list of YAL characteristics, Miranda July’s short story fits in the list perfectly. Among YAL characteristics, Small states two important ones: the main character is a teenager; and events and problems are related to teenagers. In the story, the narrator is the main character, an unnamed adolescent who has already finished high school but not long ago. Her main problem is that her affection for Pip, her best friend, is more than that of a friend. Notice how the main character falls apart when Pip announces that she is moving out with a new girl, “I could not let her leave the building. I ran down the hall and threw myself on her. She shook me off; I locked my arms around her knees. I was sobbing and wailing […] if she left, I would become mute, like those children who have witnessed horrible atrocities.” Idealizing a person is quite common in adolescence, and even more if one has a romantic crush. In the story, the main character idealizes Pip and cannot handle her absence at all.

When dealing with YAL, Herz and Gallo claim that there are many universal themes connected to this area of fiction. Family conflicts is just one of the many themes that the authors mention to be connected to YAL. In respect to the story, the two teenage characters feel relieved when leaving their homes from the very beginning of the story. Both characters face their families and get a different feedback from them. While the unnamed narrator decides to leave without uttering a single word, Pip receives an uninterested answer from her mother when she announces her departure. Her mother’s lack of interest can be seen in the next dialogue,

We’re going now, Mom.

Where?

To Portland.

Can you do one thing for me first? Can you bring that magazine over here?

The quote above gives us background information about the poor family communication between Pip and her mother, which is just one instance among the family conflicts. The unnamed narrator says that she has the opposite problem from her friend’s. Pip’s problem is that her mother would let her go with no major problem

What is more, Herz and Gallo mention that some YAL includes a variety of situational archetypes. An archetype is a typical character, an action or a situation that may represent certain universal patterns of human nature. In Something That Needs Nothing, the main character deals with the search of self. As it has been said before, the narrator is not able to manage Pip’s absence. After filling many applications to get a job, she ends up working in a peep show, a booth from which any person can see a live nude by paying money. In most of the story, the main character remains unnamed, but it is thanks (or maybe not) to her new job that the unnamed narrator is then referred to as Gwen, her fake name at the peep show. Interestingly, working in a peep show and wearing a wig are what make Pip recover interest on her old friend. So interested is Pip that she ends up making love to Gwen. The main character reflects upon her new job. She realizes that she has two options: she can keep Gwen and maintain Pip’s interest, or she can free herself from the new job which just gave her a hollow life.

Teenage character’s dilemmas, themes that are relevant for adolescents and an inner search for self are all characteristics and aspects that authors agree on when describing YAL. For all the stated, Miranda July’s short story connects with young adult readers, and that allows us to say that Something That Needs Nothing may be an adequate example of YAL.

Romance for young adults…

By Nahir Penelas

 

Are Humans the only romantic creatures in the world? At least we can say that they are the only creatures who look desperate for a person to love. It was Romance written by Miranda July and published in 2005, is a contemporaneous story about desperate women trying to find love. The narrator of the story, a woman around 30 years old, attends a new age seminar about romance in order to find a solution to his single marital status. The protagonist, one of her mates called Teresa, and other girls who participate in the seminar, share the same feeling: they suffer from lonesomeness. They will work hard together to overcome obstacles and find her soul mate.

Miranda July shows a sensitive protagonist, who deals with love problems, and who doesn´t act as a real adult, but as a teenager. Friendship and love are the prevalent values of this short story.

Young Adult Literature (YAL) follows c ertain characteristics in order to catch teenager´s attention. It is important to mention that a story or a novel is considered YAL when it deals with universal topics such as love, family conflicts, teenage pregnancy, sexuality and the search for the self. Besides, the proximity of language and the length of the story influence the young adult readers’ choice of reading material. Teenagers prefer stories that use slang or simple words, and that are short in length. Having in mind these characteristics we might say that It was Romance can be considered a YAL story.

Donelson and Nilsen, known writers from this field of study, who have always worked promoting young adults´ reading, say that what makes a book YAL is the fact of being chosen by a reader from twelve to twenty years old. Consequently if a teen chooses this story, he will make it YAL. But why a teen would read It was Romance?

Robert Small an authority on YAL, points out the main characteristics that make a story YAL. The first one is that the main character should be a teenager, and that the events and problems in the plot should be related to him. According to this characteristic we might say that It was Romance is a YAL story. Even though the protagonist is an adult, she doesn´t act as one. She assists to a seminar in order to solve her love problems, but in general adults have many professional responsibilities among other duties to carry out, and for sure they won´t assist to a seminar with those characteristics. That is why we can assume the protagonist has immature attitude, similar to the one of an adolescent. Therefore Small characteristic, present in July´s work make it a YAL story, appealing for teens.

Small also says the teenage main character is usually perceptive, sensitive, intelligent, mature and independent.  These characteristics are appropriate to describe the main character of It was Romance. This can be clearly seen in the following extract,

 I walked down the hall and saw that Theresa was sitting on the floor next to a chair. This is always a bad sign (…) Theresa began to cry. I stopped with the patting and hugged her, and she hugged me back. I had made everything just horrible enough to bring Theresa’s sadness down to the next level, and I joined her there. It was a place of overflowing collaborative misery, and we cried together.

The protagonist represents the kind of main character YAL stories should include. The narrator knows how to empathize with her friend´s suffering and helps her listening and hugging her.

Lastly, Small points out that a story should be short in order to be considered YAL. Consequently, It was Romance responds to this characteristic because it is a 2-page story.

As we mentioned before, some universal topics, such as love, are appealing for teens. It was Romance problematizes love, an universal topic that may be interesting for teens as it is suggested by Holly Koelling  in her article “Makes Sense of teens as growing people and as readers”. Koelling says that at 11^th grade teens tend to have a strong focus on romantic relationships. Thus It was Romance may be really catchy for them at that stage.

Herz and Gallo suggest that some situational archetypes, such as the search for the self, should be included in YAL. Therefore this archetype is present in It was Romance. The main character, Teresa and the other participants of the seminar are not only trying to solve their love problems, but also to discover who they are in the world, and to reflect about their previous mistaken relationships. Subsequently the fact that the main character portrays an adult who is still in search for her real self, might makes this story a YAL one.

In conclusion, It was Romance can be considered a YAL story, because following most of the YAL marketing strategies suggested by Small, Koelling and Donelson & Nilsen, it might catch young adult reader´s attention. It is a simple and short story about Romance, with a sensitive main character, that might be appealing for adolescents.

The Visitor: a short story that will not visit young adults’ shelves

Zombies, aliens and monsters are characters generally categorized as appealing for teenagers. But do they really enjoy all the stories in which these creatures appear? In fact, it is not like that. For parents, teachers and adults in general it is difficult to find a suitable book for adolescents. In order to choose which the appropriate stories for them are, we can consider as a reference the characteristics introduced by Robert C. Small Jr. He is the head of Radford University, and wrote about YAL in an article entitled “The Literary Value of the Young Adult Novel” in 1992. The acronym YAL refers to literature written specially for adolescents.  Small grouped certain elements that should be taken into account when classifying stories for teenagers.

As adults, we should know that not all novels and books are appealing for adolescents. For example, “The Visitor,” a short story written by Jack Ketchum, definitely does not follow Small’s characteristics. In this short story, Will, the protagonist, is an old man who is married to Beatrice. This woman is bitten by a zombie and then she is hospitalized. Will starts to visit her wife and to tell her memorable anecdotes about their past together.

As human beings, we generally tend to identify ourselves with what we read. Teenagers might do it in a higher degree because they are shaping their personality. For this reason, they will probably not feel the desire of reading something they cannot identify with. According to Small, the main character of the story is a teenager who is usually perceptive, sensitive, intelligent, mature and independent. The first controversy that “The Visitor” presents is that the main character is an old man and not an adolescent. This is one of the reasons why this story might not be appealing for young adults.

When selecting a story we should take into account what Small says about the main character. He/she is a teenager, and also the center of the plot. His/her dialogues reflect teenager’s speech, including slang. In “The Visitor” there is only one character who is an adolescent, but she does not speak. Also, Will, the protagonist, shows difficulties to speak to this young adult. When he is at the hospital, he observes her lying on a bed, and it is problematic for him to find out the way of talking to her. He solves this problem reading a magazine for her. This scene exemplifies the difficulties Will faces when communicating with young adults and also the lack of teenager’s participation. This is another reason why teenagers will probably not be engaged when reading this story.

Taking into account Hertz and Gallo’s proposal, the theme of a young adult novel or story should be appealing for YA. It is important to mention that the central topic of “The Visitor” is a zombie apocalypse. While reading this story, the author describes that Will and his wife Beatrice have to face an unexpected problem when the old woman is beaten by a zombie-friend in her collarbone. We could predict that this story will fulfill teenager’s expectations. However, the sadness and nostalgia that the author transmits deliciously, seems to change the target audience from teens to adults, focusing on deeper emotions rather than on blood and innards.

In conclusion, it is difficult for adults to find out if a story is meant for adolescents or not. In order to identify this, we have to pay attention not only to the topics and characters in the story, but also to the manner it is written. We can consider that even though zombies appear in “The Visitor,” this fact does not make it appealing for teenagers. For the reasons previously mentioned, this story cannot be proposed as a case of YAL. Not all literary texts are addressed for teens, but luckily we can follow the features that Small provided us with to fulfill their needs and expectations.

More than a bitter coffee in New Orleans’s ground

“In every way that counted, I was dead”, this short but, profound sentence may introduce readers to a world where it will be easy to be or feel identified with the main unknown character.

Gaiman, the author of Bitter Grounds, describes in what seems to be four different diary entries, the story of an unknown man who is heading south and west leaving aside all what he knows and cherishes. The main character is portrayed by the author as somebody who is lost inside himself and who does not want to wake up anymore feeling “resigned to existence”. On his way to nowhere he meets different characters which in time will play an important role on his life. Is he dreaming? Is he dead? Or is he just lost in between two worlds?

Bitter grounds have characteristics which may be linked to Young Adults Literature (YAL). Such features include the length of the text, which is short indeed, since the story has no more than 3 pages. The type of language used, which is not complex. And the events on the plot are related to teenagers. Equally important are the themes and situational archetypes seen in the story, for instance, the endless questions about “Who somebody is?” and “Where does that somebody belong?” Last but not least, the search for self is an important topic in YAL. Assuming that all these features found in YAL are present in Bitter grounds, this paper aim is to prove that the former can be considered an example of Young Adults Literature.

Turning now to the questions of the main character seen as a teenager, which may be put up to discussion since there is no evidence that the unknown character is in fact a teenager, or even an adult; still there is the possibility to analyze the way he expresses as similar to the way in which a teenager may express his or her ideas. In relation to that, readers may think that he is a teenager since his mood is kind of dispirited, sad or even blue. These may be well portrayed with the following extract,

“Inside somewhere I was screaming and weeping and howling like an animal, but that was another person deep inside, another person who had no access to the face and lips and mouth and head…”

It’s of common knowledge that teenagers are passing through a mourning of the lost body and in a way they may feel a little bit down or depressed or even look grim. Also it may happen to them that they do not recognize themselves anymore like the character that says that the person inside him is not the same as the one that is in the outside. The character seems like an adult having some teenager issues.

Considering the idea of this character feeling depressed, a connection with questions about who someone is and where does that someone belong, may be established as regards the topics that are commonly found in YAL. As we read the story, we get to know that the character does not recognize him and that he is heading south and west and that he has thrown his cell phone perhaps desiring that nobody contacts him. We even do not know his name. Here the search for self is present but twisted because he is not searching for himself, he’s leaving himself. Similar is this to what some adolescent experience when while they change their physical appearance and start mourning the lost body because that is a signal of their childhood now finished.

In Bitter Grounds, the impossibility to clearly identify whether the main character is a teenager or an adult, does not affect its connection to YAL since the character’s feelings, thoughts and experiences might be similar to the ones an adolescent may feel, think or experience. A long with these, the book’s length, of no more than three pages, also applies to YAL characteristics as well as the simple vocabulary used. Reasons which prove Bitter Grounds should be considered as an example of YAL.

Yummy! Yummy! Young brains to read!

“Oh! Here it comes the zombie,” used to joke my father every morning when I got up early to go to secondary school. Still asleep, I sat motionless and had breakfast with my eyes fixed on the cup of tea. Just like a zombie, I neither thought nor spoke. It was too early for me and my brain to react. Such a humorous comparison brings a great example of adolescents’ place in society. Both zombies and adolescents confront the same dilemma: the question of not being. They are both incomplete and imperfect beings; they are both trapped between two worlds. The former ones are trapped between life and death, while the latter are trapped between childhood and adulthood.

Adolescents need not only to explore their inner self and find their identity but also to explore the external world and find a place where they feel safe and comfortable. They need to find a place where they feel identified. In literature, they may find that place in Young Adult Literature (YAL), where themes and topics may be closer to them and their realities. As Herz and Gallo point out, YAL deals with universal themes such as the eternal questions Who I am? and Where do I fit in? and controversial topics which are appealing to adolescents. At the same time, Robert Small proposes a set of characteristics of YAL that places adolescents in a central position and contributes to the sense of closeness mentioned before. Thus, YAL becomes an irresistible option for adolescents to immerse themselves in the stories and let their hungry brains devour their pages with intense eagerness.

In this context, The Good Parts is a short story worth being discussed. Written by Les Daniels, the story portrays the particular experiences of a man who has become a zombie. However, it is not a mere description of a zombie hunting human beings and eating human flesh. Indeed, this story focuses not only on the typical zombie archetype but also on topics rarely related to them: such as love, sex, pregnancy and the beginning of a new life. These topics, however, are closely related to adolescents and their discovering of the world. Therefore, I believe that The Good Parts is a clear case of Young Adult Literature.

Based on Herz and Gallo´s ideas, I may affirm that The Good Parts develops many themes from YAL. Survival is the dominant theme in this story, and it appears in different aspects of the plot. First of all, it is related to the “survival” of the main character. Throughout the story, zombies get their bodies disintegrated because they are extremely fragile; however, the protagonist survives due to his large frame and body fat. Moreover, survival appears in relation to the protagonist´s human daughter. Since her birth, she has survived to her father´s desire of eating her because he would wait until she grows up enough to eat her. As he finally ends up disintegrated, she faces again the same dilemma: she would have to look for other human beings, equal to her, in order to survive. This quest is closely connected to the adolescents´ one.  On the one hand, they have to survive the end of their childhood; and, on the other hand, they need to find their own place. For this closeness to adolescents, the themes developed in this story may be really compelling for  them.

At first sight and following up Small´s characteristics, we may argue that the main character in The Good Parts is not actually an adolescent. However, taking into account the comparison made at the very beginning, I may take the risk and assure that both zombies and adolescents are similar enough in their position in the world for the protagonist of this story functions as if he were an adolescent. Like an adolescent, he is discovering love and sex and experiencing both for the first time. In this respect, the story does implicitly follow many characteristics of YAL which are directly related to adolescents and their centrality in YA stories.

Moreover, I may also assert that The Good Parts follows many more of the main points that are unique to YAL. First, the main character is the centre of the plot. The story is based entirely on this zombie´s experiences: how he manages to survive, how he finds a place where he feels comfortable, how he encounters a zombie woman and makes love with her, how he becomes a father of a human baby and how he deals with it. Second, the actions and decisions of the main character are major factors in the outcome of the conflict. Although he has selfish purposes, the protagonist decides to take care of his human daughter and protect her from other zombies who want to eat her. As we can notice, the story characteristics coincide with many YAL specific points.

In conclusion, The Good Parts is a great example of Young Adult Literature because it goes beyond the plain zombie archetype and deals with themes which are close to adolescents´ realities making the story even more appealing for them.

No One Belongs Here More Than YAL

Not everything is said in Young Adult Literature. Books exclusively intended for young adult readers have increased a 35% since 2008. However, YAL’s scope is not finite, for it also embraces books aimed to more “mature” audiences.  YAL is open to innovations and risks that are not only acceptable but necessary.

When it comes to risks and innovations, author Miranda July is first in line. Even though she wouldn’t categorize herself as a YAL author, her stories are unique experiments of the ingredients that are appealing to YA readers. This Person, a two-page short story from her book No One Belongs Here More Than You, is no exception. In this story, a nameless girl (continually referred to as “this person”) wakes up to find that her life till that moment was just a test, and she has passed it. Every difficulty or abandonment was just a trial to prove her strength. A better life is waiting for her now. So everyone she has ever known gathers in a park to congratulate her.  But she feels overwhelmed by the sudden revelations and affection, and she bails out, seeking for loneliness.

Miranda July’s story is the perfect example of the substantial territory YAL has been gaining throughout the years. This story doesn’t play safe and arises many possible discussions. This person by Miranda July is YAL at its finest.   

“Squeaky clean” is not a characteristic that fits this story. In words of authors Herz and Gallo, “YAL deals with many universal themes, including the eternal question who I am?” In This Person, universal themes such as disillusion and isolation are present. At the beginning of the story, the nameless girl is excitedly waiting for the gathering in the park. When she arrives, everyone she knows congratulates her for passing “the” test. People who have made her life a misery apologize to her and confess that whatever they had done was just part of “the” test. However, these revelations don’t bring her happiness, but the awful memories that caused her so many afflictions.“This person is almost mad (…) This person is so disappointed.” In this extract, the character’s disillusion is palpable, for she realizes that everything she believes in is not true. What she has hoped and dreamed suddenly vanishes in the air. If everything that she has experienced was just a test, then what is real in her life? Such a deep and crucial question is not answered in the story. One reason may be that there is not just one answer, but more likely that readers are allowed to draw their own conclusions. The lack of answer is not a flaw of the story. It is a manifestation of its “YALness".

Even though she is mad and disillusioned, she still regrets leaving the park. “This person mourns the fact that she has ruined her one chance to be loved by anyone…” She wants to take that only chance of being loved and connect with people.  She wants to be part, to belong, but she doesn’t know how since the revelations have crushed her and now she needs to protect herself. Her struggle is clear in the following extract: “This person realizes that staying home means blowing off everyone this person has ever known. But the desire to stay in is very strong.” This need to be alone can be considered as a defence mechanism known as isolation. The main character isolates herself from everyone she knows; she decides to cut every interaction or relation with people and take refuge in solitude. Avoiding contact with people seems to be the solution this person finds to deal with the disillusion the latest events brought to her life. Isolation is a complex topic that is studied in different fields, such as psychology and sociology. So its presence in a YAL story is not random. It is a bold selection that YA readers will find interesting to discuss.

Along with universal themes, there are other characteristics in July’s story that are appealing to young adult readers. Author Robert C. Small proposes three characteristics that are unique to YAL: the novel (story) is short; the main character is the center of the plot; and the actions and decisions of the main character are major factors in the outcome of the story. This Person is a two-page s  tory, told in the third person omniscient narrator. An omniscient narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of every character, still, as the plot of the story centers on the main character, the narrator focuses exclusively on the girl: “this person suddenly feels the need to…, “this person wonders…”, “this person mourns the fact that…”, “this person wants to run a bath…”  July’s story has other characters, such as the math and PE teachers, the jerks, idiots and assholes, the girl from the bus stop. Yet, they have neither voice nor power over the development of the events, for only the main character’s decisions drive the story.  All these characteristics don’t make This Person a shallow or superficial story. The short length and the “egocentric” plot are innovations used to make readers genuinely connect with Julies' work.

For stories like This Person, YAL won’t know dry spells. It is continually growing and expanding. There are still many Mirandas Julies to come and keep things active in the YAL section. Young adult readers: BEWARE!