I'm not Peter Pan. I don't want to do the whole never grow up thing and be permanently stuck in puberty. I had braces and glasses...it was an interesting time.
But I digress. What I'm trying to say is, I know that I'm almost considered a grown up, and I am ready to graduate college and get a job. What I'm not willing to ever give up on is my imagination and ability to daydream. The Young Adult genre usually provides more imagination and emotion than other books trying to reach an older audience.
Why, as a 22 year old female who is getting engaged and about to graduate, am I so intrigued and excited about fantasy novels? While I am incapable of correctly going through my entire thought process about this topic, I do have a few ideas as to why I want to read fantasy YA.
1) I don't want to be a stereotypical, boring person. My life is full of stereotypes. I have blonde hair. Average height. Average weight (I hope). Member of a sorority. Average family. I'm in a long term relationship that will end in marriage, a dog, and then kids. Hopefully in that order (I'm feeling snarky). The message that I'm trying to convey in telling you all of these things is that, on paper, I'm the definition of boring. And sometimes, I feel boring. I feel bored with my life, and how I have limited myself to a few choices, instead of a world of possibilities. As I get older, I feel my charisma to do something great slipping away. Instead of wondering about my future, I find myself being alarmed about how clearly I can see the rest of my life.
That's where fantasy and YA come in. Because, in reading books about 17 year olds, I realize that I'm closer to them in age than I'm closer to 30. And I love how young that makes me feel. I also love the strange, exciting worlds that they live in, and how different they are from my own little world. I like to think about what I would do if I was Katniss from The Hunger Games, or Hermione from Harry Potter. I want to know all about these people, because in my head I can consider them an extension of myself, and through these characters, I can go on adventures. If you think that's weird and pathetic, then I feel sorry for you, because sometimes there is no greater feeling than getting really into a book.
2) I adore creativity. The amount of thought and research these authors put into their fantasy books is astounding. My journalism professor in Gaylord once told our class that the average book takes about 2-6 years to plan and write out. JK Rowling took 7 years to write Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I can appreciate that kind of effort in any book, but these YA books that have become so popular lately are spectarularly detailed, and I love it. There is a reason why so many people love these books, especially with older adults. They are magical. And the attraction is hard to resist. I am the first one to admit that I think the characters are weak in Twilight and the whole thing is getting out of hand, but I admire Stephenie Meyer for her ability to imagine and create Bella's world. It takes a special person to do something like that, and creative authors can be hard to come by sometimes. No matter if I think her characters are stupid and have insecurity problems (cough, Bella Don't-leave-me-ever -or-I'll-be-insane Swan).
3) I want an escape. Life is hard sometimes. I know that I generally have it really easy, but anybody who knows me well can easily tell when I'm overwhelmed and stressed. Especially because I normally say it over and over again. These books aren't hard to read, and they provide an enjoyable escape from the harsh monotony of everyday life. It's like going to the movies for some people. I just want to slip away from anything that is not going well in my life, so I essentially sneak away with imaginary people to get my mind off of things. I look forward to it almost every day, actually. To get a break and some type of rest from this is the best thing I can do for myself. And it's a hell of a lot cheaper than retail therapy. Which is my second favorite activity.
I know that Young Adult books can be cheesy and mindless. Sometimes I prefer them that way. I know that many people still will think that the Young Adult genre is a waste of time. But I really didn't write this post for them, or anybody else. I wrote this to remind myself why I feel so strongly about YA. Every time that I chide myself on reading a book with a stupid title (i.e "Fallen, Twilight, Beastly" etc..) I remember why I read them in the first place, and how rewarding they are for me in the end. And that beats being embarrassed to tell people that I love YA any day.
Your 3rd reason sums up exactly why I too read Young Adult books. They are fast reads and easy to understand -- which is quite different from the readings in my Foundations of American Politics class. Sometimes it's nice to not have to sift through hard to understand material, just to find the underlying reason for why something happened. It's also pretty cool to see an older author right a YA book and be able to replicate the exact feelings of a teenager in the book. You would think that they might forget what it was like at 17 years old. I mean, I don't even remember the way I felt about certain things as a teen.
ReplyDeleteThank you Megan!! Somebody understands me. I wish I could go back and tell my young adult self that it's okay to read things that you enjoy, not that you have to read important material to impress somebody. And I appreciate the way that young adult authors write, because it is really hard to drudge those angsty teenage feelings and put them on paper.
ReplyDelete