![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEt8R9Ea_zVC8TCrb4TVUZrrANoomatALCeSDWav_WkvYynrxkFw8ELiR6XI3ISQyr_69bdL6xRUa_QsZp7YaCEMkydOlIxEr408wXpuBnyrfYavLJS5PfsUmKzNw1ZCKY9MzuqsHzBp-/s1600/RBguestppost.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRumyOohR55eKDEWoUC_Wo4QVvtcF7G6HVH5kfac9ArvdvU4sSRyjawivrXuYzP7zHXZ2l6KCRW-krT9Yoe1zWe2A0gaq5nWpM0RHLWlKYjlTKf1Hm9sTGOFqkwuo00gI2ZhxGrxEvxm4/s640/taaop.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVQxWMBkYV977KwfzqU1fptF1DsUp8G5slx83v256HBgB_JYdsQqum6er3kjBF4oSyEpYzWkPb2zeDoSmf91qTK8wwfPXgy-35HY4Lg2OgS29Szohoudi-FTQaaI45SPRvmDrsqEMPno/s1600/taaops.png)
The Appeal of a Coming-of-Age Narrative
by Kat Gordon
For me, the appeal of a coming of age narrative lies in three areas:
1) It’s a classic story, and as such never really goes out of style (55 years after it was published, To Kill a Mockingbird seems just as authentic and perceptive as ever; 155 years later, Great Expectations is just as ingenuous). It’s also as universal as you can get – we were all children once, and all grew older and learnt more about the world as we did so.
2) It provides the writer with a great opportunity for humour through the dramatic irony inherent in an older narrator looking back at the misunderstandings and impropriety of their younger selves – in my novel, the protagonist Tallie, remembers learning about “urges” and “sperm...swimming around in their blood, or something” from her older cousin, and telling a newly-arrived-on-the-scene Uncle Jack “I don’t like you very much”. However, the narrative also demands psychological and moral growth, supplying depth; in fact, its success often depends upon a convincing portrait of the psychology of the protagonist, which makes it all the more emotionally engaging for the reader.
3) Lastly, but not leastly, there is a heightening of emotions that goes hand-in-hand with childrens’ and teenagers’ hormonal changes that can really intensify their experiences on the page. This helps with the tension and momentum of a narrative, which is especially appealing nowadays.
Buy a copy of The Artificial Anatomy of Parks on Amazon here or add it to your Goodreads TBR.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBnerShIned1mFwzayPTc46LYKywaapXoCWJ2c9f_iJD2jXa432urQOJ7VpitX325u2q86DlZG04VOajMTDp7xTf_LVtv7z0Zpsd4cx8crKwlG9dsmian3-TZqVUt2CdBaQZmyceNT5RQ/s1600/aopbt.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6m8cIVi1FNztrNbaNKvcuM03Wxo20Q2DWfrqJ8Ghdo4KcMY2-oxw3LjDu_ZNzDLchSxDDK_tdLt7vUJehT4HiwLQtpFcsTDT4uQmYEFv3rx_mUhQcxUdDOYjWBoP6b9DAXbXqbCe4zoeo/s1600/RBsig.png)
No comments:
Post a Comment