According to Sturgeon’s Law, 90% of everything is garbage. This famous quote comes from Theodore Sturgeon, a famous science fiction novelist in the 1950s. He once said: "People often criticize that 90% of science fiction is garbage, but this argument is meaningless, because in fact science fiction is of the same quality as all other works of art." The key to interpreting Sturgeon's words is how you define what "junk" is.
At the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the 10-day discussion session was occupied by the same topic: How to define young adult literature (young adult fiction). In a heated exchange of words, someone proposed this law. Although the discussion lasted for several days and was in full swing, and although famous literary figures such as Frances Hardinge, Marcus Sedgwick, and Simon Mayo expressed their opinions, people still failed to reach the final result of the discussion. Even the authors of youth literature themselves were unable to give a proper definition of this type of literature.
Did the rise of this type of literature begin with Susan Elroy Hinton’s “The Outsiders” (SE Hinton’s The Outsiders) in the 1950s? Or was it influenced by writers such as Alan Garner in the 1960s? Perhaps there is never a fixed conclusion about its definition, but it changes with the changes of the times, and each generation of writers redefines this type of literature in a unique style. But what is interesting is that these writers often do not write specifically for teenagers, but write purely based on their own ideas.
In the "Youth Literature Discussion" at the Book Festival on August 29, there were a variety of topics, including how to define youth literature. Various related issues emerged one after another. Whenever one topic aroused heated discussion, people's attention would be attracted to another topic. So, is youth literature considered a major literary category, or can it only be considered a subcategory? Who is its readership? Is its content too mature? Is the quality worrying? Not interesting enough?
In order to ease the tension of the discussion, young adult literature writer Anthony McGowan threw out Sturgeon's Law: 90% of young adult literature is garbage. He said that in terms of the audience for young adult literature, it is more of a sect than a literary category. He said at the meeting that most readers of young adult literature are older white women, and their values and aesthetics are very single. Therefore, some people have begun to question that most youth literature online writers are female, and the majority of editors are female, resulting in "such works are more in line with the tastes of women in their twenties and thirties, rather than teenagers. In this female-dominated field, the works created reflect their own experiences and are written for young women." However, those who come to this conclusion do not seem to realize the correlation between gender and degree of psychological delicacy, which is the key to this kind of work.
Youth literature may not be called a major literary category, but just as many discussions about literary categories involve value judgments, the debate about youth literature has gradually evolved into value judgments. McGowan said frankly: "I think adults should not read useless children's works such as juvenile literature. Instead, they should read more masterpieces by Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Dickens and other famous writers, and stop reading "Twilight" and "The Hunger Games" all day long. This is a sign of growth, and they should read some in-depth books." However, Elizabeth Wein and Philip Womack disagree with this view.
Writer Patrice Lawrence countered: "I am 49 years old and have gone through most of my life. There are not many days left, but I will never waste the rest of my life reading the works of Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky!" These remarks attracted applause from the audience.
An older female reader was waiting in line for Harding to sign her copy of "The Lie Tree". She said excitedly: "I am very, very angry. He has dominated the public opinion of this book festival without authorization. No one asked us readers how to define young people's literature." Another middle-aged female reader next to her agreed.
Authors of young adult literature always speak highly of their young readers without hesitation, but they often deny that their books are specifically created for young people. This is what McGowan calls a contradiction. Today's youth literature readers are no longer limited to teenagers. When you come to the booths at the book festival, you will find that the same books are placed in the adult exhibition area and the children's exhibition area. Jenny Downham shared her experience in the "Young Adult Literature Debate" about seeing her work "Before I Die" on both the YA and adult fiction bookcases. "I thought it was stupid," she recalled. But then again, from a marketing perspective, it was a smart move to increase sales.
So, what was the outcome of this discussion on young adult literature? Wayne wrote about this: "I think all topics are old topics and there is nothing new. It's just that everyone enjoys the process of complaining." Can't we sit down and discuss young adult literature calmly? Is the youth literature market really occupied by female authors of mixed quality?
In addition to Sturgeon's law, there is another law that is very consistent with the current situation: Occam's razor, that is, the simplest explanation method is often the most correct. Applied to youth literature, to put it simply, this type of literature actually embodies a process of self-reflection. Just like the TV programs we usually watch,The types of art we like and the books we read are all spiritual food that improves our literacy and taste.
This is even more important when your readership includes children. All parents want books to be educational, not just fun to read. In fact, the same goes for authors. They all hope that their works can have a profound impact on readers. However, just because juvenile literature is not difficult and obscure enough, it does not mean that it is superficial and meaningless, just as profound works do not necessarily mean they are meaningful. An author in his early 20s complained plaintively to McGowan during the meeting: "Isn't it enough for people to enjoy reading?" Indeed, who cares how young adult literature is defined.
