IDENTIFYING HUMANITY THROUGH NARRATIVE: A PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH TO YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE.

 

Young Adult (YA) literature is a subject that is often unclear. There is no clear definition

of what YA literature is. However, most YA literature has several things in common. First, it

includes characters between the ages of 12 and 25. Second, it fits into the publication genre of

YA literature. Third, it features diverse characters experiencing themes surrounding identity. It is

this theme of identity on which this essay focuses. Narrowed down to the subject of narrative

identity, we look at how the events of someone’s life makes up their personality and the

correlation between narrative identity and YA literature. Narrative identity can be seen within

novels, and it is also impacted by the stories we read. The text Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and

Amie Kauffman is used to further examine this framework, alongside frameworks of

posthumanism and technology. The ideas of technology, narrative identity, and YA literature are

all combined in a representative assignment that is a podcast. This podcast assignment asks

students to examine these intersections utilizing technology, and to use multimodality to

communicate their findings. The essay concludes by discussing possible pitfalls, such as political

climate, breadth of topics, and student preconceptions. However, it is concluded that YA is a

vital part of literature and society that allows for an empathetic approach to how we interact with

one another.