In early 2012, I read Easy by Tamarra Weber. It was labeled Young Adult fiction, but was distinctly different. I was taken by surprise when the protagonist, Jacqueline, was sexually assaulted in the first chapter of the book, and the plot and characters continued to experience life events typically only dealt with in ‘adult’ genres. This text is part of a new popular genre, New Adult (NA) fiction. NA fiction is a genre of the in-between: in between Teen Romance and Romance fiction, characters in-between adolescence and adulthood, and a social space between the two.
New Adult fiction straddles young adult and adult identities, and deals with the tumultuous coming-of-age process for young women in either college, or beginning a career, as they navigate adulthood. These characters must come to terms with their new responsibilities, romantic and personal relationships, and their identity as women. The themes of NA fiction reflect expectations young women negotiate in their daily lives and frame broader gender norms they must navigate as they perform their femininity.
Until now, New Adult fiction has received no scholarly attention. In this paper, I will identify the conventions of this genre, with examples from Webber’s Easy, and position it within the larger discussion of how reading impacts feminine identity. This genre nuances Janice Radway’s early work Women Reading the Romance. Radway showed that the process of reading Romance fiction allowed women to subvert patriarchal norms, while reflecting on their individual experiences and values. Women’s concepts of femininity, and their relationship with society and patriarchal systems have high stakes as they begin to construct their adult identity. NA fiction, and its representation of the evolution from adolescence to truly feeling like an adult, is a prime moment to continue the study of contemporary feminine gender norms.
About the presenterJosefine Smith
Josefine Smith is the Instruction & Assessment librarian at Shippensburg University. She earned an MLIS from University of Pittsburgh and a MA in American Studies from Penn State, Harrisburgh. She currently is researching how femininity and gender are constructed for young women and how those women negotiate, perform and challenge those expectations. As a librarian she teaches information literacy to enhance student success and student empowerment, and loves helping students connect to their passions.