Gewalt im Jugendbuch

Violence by and against young people is omnipresent. It is a problem area for society, politics, psychology, pedagogy, and of course, literature. Modern German-language youth literature explores this theme in various ways—especially since the departure from idealized narratives at the end of the 1960s. With the emancipation of youth literature came a convergence with the literary conventions, stylistic language, and genre spectrum of adult literature. The author Helga Gandlgruber provides an introductory overview of the politicization of youth literature and the theme of violence in young adult books in Germany, the USA, and the Netherlands. Following this, new analytical criteria are developed based on the research literature. The study of developments from 1980 to 2000 is exemplified through six works. The investigation looks into victim, perpetrator, and gender roles, violence socialization, the narrative representation of aggression, and the resolution of conflict. The book is aimed at literary scholars, teachers, and children's and young adult book authors.