When youth novels were first written, Afrikaans speaking adolescents spent their time
reading the original and absorbing youth novels then available. These suited their
psychological and environmental development and they could identify with the language and
style used in these novels. The contents were a representation of a world which they knew
and in which they could feel secure. Although authors often dealt with issues relevant to the
adolescent world, the plot reflected a secure and nurturing world where the readers and their
life experiences were taken into account.
In recent years the adolescent world has changed dramatically from a secure environment to
a more exposed one, posing the question whether contemporary Afrikaans youth novels
have retained the same traits mentioned earlier and answer to the same norms. The value of
literature should never be underestimated; it can develop the imaginative skills and moral
values of adolescent readers. Also, it has become clear that adolescents have a great need
for reading material that deals with relevant issues.
The main focus of this study is characterization and development of identity in selected youth
novels by Barrie Hough, viz. My kat word herfs, Vlerkdans and Skilpoppe as revealed in
textual analysis and empirical research. The literature study focuses on developmental
psychology and the reading expectations of the adolescent, character development
according to some narrative theories, e.g. reader response criticism and intertextuality
theories. The main objective of this study is to analyze, interpret and evaluate the above
three youth novels in order to establish whether or not the contemporary adolescent can
identify with these specific stories.
It has been found that the adolescent reader in the early years of the twenty first century is
able to identify with the contemporary youth novels such as those by Barrie Hough. Although
young readers do not want to steer clear of contentious themes and issues in youth novels, it
seems that they still prefer evergreen classical topics and themes. This suggests that the
modern adolescent is still positive about life and aspires to attain goodness and moral
strength. / Thesis (M.A. (Afrikaans and Dutch))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:NWUBOLOKA1/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/1407 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Vos, Judith Elizabeth |
| Publisher | North-West University |
| Source Sets | North-West University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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