Portrait of the Artist as a Young Adult: The Arts in Young Adult Literature

by Lois Thomas Stover, Connie S. Zitlow

Overview

Young adults often struggle with confusion or guilt because they perceive themselves as different from others, especially their peers. For some of these individuals, the arts can help them cope with adolescent turmoil, allowing them to express their emotions in poems, stories, painting, songs, and other creative outlets. Sensitive teachers and parents know how important it is for young people to realize that they are not alone in their quest for self-knowledge and finding their way in the world. It can make a difference when readers find something in a book that helps them understand more about who they are and helps them understand others.

In Portrait of the Artist as a Young Adult: The Arts in Young Adult Literature, Lois Thomas Stover and Connie S. Zitlow examine books in which the coming-of-age for young adults is influenced by the arts. Stover and Zitlow consider the connection between the arts and a young person’s developing sense of self, the use of art to cope with loss and grief, and how young adults can use art to foster catharsis and healing. The young people in these books either identify as artists or use the arts in intentional ways to explore their identities. They often have artistic gifts that make them stand outside the norms of teenage life, yet those gifts also help them find a sense of community.

Artists considered in this book include painters, photographers, sculptors, actors, directors, choreographers, dancers, composers, musicians, graffiti artists, and others. The books discussed also explore the ways adults can nurture the artist’s development and understand the way young people sometimes use the arts to form their unique identity. Included is an annotated bibliography organized by art discipline, as well as an appendix about using the arts pedagogically, making Portrait of the Artist as a Young Adult a valuable resource for educators, parents, librarians, and young adults.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810892781
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	10/30/2013
Series:	Studies in Young Adult Literature , #46
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	292
File size:	505 KB
Age Range:	3 Months to 17 Years

About the Author

Lois Thomas Stover is Professor and Chair, Educational Studies, St. Mary's College of Maryland. She is the author of Presenting Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (1997), Young Adult Literature: The Heart of the Middle School Curriculum (1996), Jacqueline Woodson: The Real Thing (Scarecrow Press, 2003), and Teaching the Selected Works of Katherine Paterson (2007).

Connie S. Zitlow is Professor Emerita, Department of Education, Ohio Wesleyan University. She is the author of Teaching the Young Adult Novels of Walter Dean Myers, (2007), and Lost Masterworks of Young Adult Literature (Scarecrow, 2002).

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Acknowledgments xiii

1 Identity and the Artist 1

2 Crafting an Identity as an Artist 11

3 The Arts and Loss 35

4 The Arts and Solace: Abandonment, Abuse, and Mental Illness 67

5 Friends, Enemies, Rivals, Boyfriends, and Girlfriends 91

6 Parents, Teachers, and Other Mentors: Adults as Positive and Negative Influences on Young Artists 149

7 Art and Young Adult Literature: Art in Literature, Literature about Art, Literature as Art 189

Appendix A Annotated Bibliography: Young Adult Books about the Arts 213

Appendix B Using the Arts Pedagogically: Moving Students into and out of Texts through Arts-Based Strategies 229

Young Adult Books Cited 265

Secondary Sources Cited 269

Index 271

About the Authors 277

Editorial Reviews

Stover. .. and Zitlow. .. bring their considerable knowledge and experience to this work, defining 'artist' broadly and exploring the characteristics of the literature as well as the possibilities for the study of it. This is not a reference work; rather it provides insightful essays on the development of an identity as an artist in young adults in various works, common themes in these works, and the role of adults in young adult artists’ lives. The essays use works to explain the authors’ ideas about young adult literature, going into considerable depth about the titles discussed. The appendixes include an annotated bibliography of young adult books about the arts and a chapter on the use of the arts in pedagogy. This work is highly recommended for professional collections in school libraries and in academic libraries that support teacher preparation programs.

American Reference Books Annual

Stover and Zitlow are well known for their expertise in young adult fiction, particularly for their affiliation with the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents, the adolescent arm of the National Council of Teachers of English. In this volume, part of the 'Scarecrow Studies in Young Adult Literature' series, which addresses the needs of adolescents who are gifted in the arts, the authors have expanded on an earlier journal article on the same topic. A primary focus of the book is to suggest a variety of young adult literature that could aid young artists in establishing their identities within the confusion of adolescence. Included in the book are detailed explications organized by art form and insights from authors who write for such students. The book. .. provide[s] a thorough annotated bibliography.. . .Summing Up: Recommended. Professional collections.

Choice Reviews

Even in the middle of implementing new science and math initiatives, educators are realizing the importance of creativity and the arts. As teenagers form their individual identities, they look for information to validate their life choices. This book examines YA literature that addresses teens’ issues as young artists. Both authors are education professors and authors of YA literature criticism. Unlike many other thematic YA literature books, this one provides long essays about different aspects of the arts, grounded in analysis of selected YA novels on the topic. Each novel discussion ranges from a paragraph to three pages. Chapters address identity formation, the use of art to deal with loss and adversity, art and relationships, and art literature.. . .Appendix A consists of an annotated bibliography of YA books about the arts, categorized by type of art. Appendix B suggests strategies to incorporate arts into the classroom. Two more bibliographies conclude the volume: cited YA books and cited secondary sources. Altogether, about 100 YA titles are discussed.. . .An index by author, title, and subject is also provided. The writing tone is professional and takes its time to develop each point.. . .[T]he essays provide some thoughtful discussions about the emotional side of art, and this specialty title is recommended for those who work with young adults.

Booklist

This work examines literature in which young adults are influenced by the arts. It discusses the connection between the arts and a teen’s developing self, and explores whether art assists in dealing with loss, grief, and healing, and how the arts are used to explore identity. Artists in the considered literature are comprised of painters, photographers, dancers, composers, and musicians. In the young adult novels analyzed here, characters are shown to exude strength and positivity through art. Storylines dealing with the arts teach young adults how to deal with traumatic circumstances. People in the lives of artists—friends, teachers, parents, mentors—can be strong role models or a negative influence. The literature shows how art can be a lifeline to flourish, escape, or withdraw from a dismal life experience. The influence of friendships on an individual’s art can result in collaborative projects, the grounding of artist expression, and a supportive environment. The authors delve into the use of art in literature to explore romance and gender roles. They discuss how visual art in young adult literature gives insight and feelings to the characters. Appendices list all novels discussed as well as specific strategies for using the arts in the classroom. This work is a good source for reader’s advisory for teachers and librarians working with young artists. It has good insight into the novels discussed and the analyses are interesting.. . .overall this is an excellent representation of books to recommend to youth of the arts.

VOYA

[T]he authors' recommendations–including using music 'to set the scene [or] capture the tone of the historical period in which the piece is set'–are helpful.. . .This volume would be undoubtedly be of value to librarians wishing to expand offerings for artistically–minded teens, to teachers seeking a book to recommend to a student–artist, and to parents or counselors looking to support young people who need books relevant to their challenges.

Children's Literature Association Quarterly

Stover and Zitlow are well known for their expertise in young adult fiction, particularly for their affiliation with the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents, the adolescent arm of the National Council of Teachers of English. In this volume, part of the 'Scarecrow Studies in Young Adult Literature' series, which addresses the needs of adolescents who are gifted in the arts, the authors have expanded on an earlier journal article on the same topic. A primary focus of the book is to suggest a variety of young adult literature that could aid young artists in establishing their identities within the confusion of adolescence. Included in the book are detailed explications organized by art form and insights from authors who write for such students. The book. .. provide[s] a thorough annotated bibliography.. . .Summing Up: Recommended. Professional collections.

Choice

Stover and Zitlow are well known for their expertise in young adult fiction, particularly for their affiliation with the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents, the adolescent arm of the National Council of Teachers of English. In this volume, part of the 'Scarecrow Studies in Young Adult Literature' series, which addresses the needs of adolescents who are gifted in the arts, the authors have expanded on an earlier journal article on the same topic. A primary focus of the book is to suggest a variety of young adult literature that could aid young artists in establishing their identities within the confusion of adolescence. Included in the book are detailed explications organized by art form and insights from authors who write for such students. The book. .. provide[s] a thorough annotated bibliography.. . .Summing Up: Recommended. Professional collections.

CHOICE

Even in the middle of implementing new science and math initiatives, educators are realizing the importance of creativity and the arts. As teenagers form their individual identities, they look for information to validate their life choices. This book examines YA literature that addresses teens’ issues as young artists. Both authors are education professors and authors of YA literature criticism. Unlike many other thematic YA literature books, this one provides long essays about different aspects of the arts, grounded in analysis of selected YA novels on the topic. Each novel discussion ranges from a paragraph to three pages. Chapters address identity formation, the use of art to deal with loss and adversity, art and relationships, and art literature. . . .Appendix A consists of an annotated bibliography of YA books about the arts, categorized by type of art. Appendix B suggests strategies to incorporate arts into the classroom. Two more bibliographies conclude the volume: cited YA books and cited secondary sources. Altogether, about 100 YA titles are discussed. . . .An index by author, title, and subject is also provided. The writing tone is professional and takes its time to develop each point. . . .[T]he essays provide some thoughtful discussions about the emotional side of art, and this specialty title is recommended for those who work with young adults.

Booklist