Genrefying the Classics
Because "classics" can be read on multiple levels, they lend themselves nicely to genre classification. On the most basic level, a classic is a good read-a tense mystery, a thrilling adventure, a passionate romance. Only secondarily is it an allegory of man's struggle in society or an expose of the impersonal cruelty of nature.
In recent years, one of the hottest topics of discussion in library service is Readers' Advisory work based on the appeals of genre fiction. We all read for entertainment—at least some of the time. Many of us like to read the same story with variations over and over again. A fan of horror stories wants to read other horror stories; romance readers want to feel the thrill of a love story when they read.
The classics too can be arranged under these categories to provide readers with genre access to them. This is not to say that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is simply a horror story or that Poe's Murders on the Rue Morgue is just a mystery. They are more than that; but noting the genre aspects of classic literature helps you link it to other titles in that genre. Genrefying the classics offers readers and readers' advisors yet an other way to approach a large body of fiction, and bring readers together with books they will enjoy.
Teens and the Classics
There has always been a love-hate relationship between teens and the classics. These are, after all, the books teens are made to read, think about, write papers about, take tests on.
However, remember that teen readers like intensity, and that is what the classics are about—intensity, passion, rage, terror, and obsession. Consider Wuthering Heights, Dracula, Madam Bovary. Human experience ratcheted up to a fevered pitch, that's the classics. Like most readers, young adults want an emotional experience.
The twentieth century, and particularly its last forty years, saw the creation of an entire category of books for young adults. Classic adult books about young protagonists such as Huckleberry Finn, Anne of Green Gables, and The Yearling are no longer the only reading option for teens. Accomplished writers are crafting excellent books written specifically with the maturity of the teenager in mind. With so many wonderful stories available to younger readers, should we still bother with classics? I would say yes. The right book for the right reader at the right time demands we offer these stories. Some of these novels are too good to miss; and the teen years are the perfect time to experience many of them. My intention isn't to insist classic fiction be recommended to the exclusion of contemporary fiction but that classics be recommended as well.
How to Recommend a Classic
Many teens love to read, and what they love about it is good stories. One way to ease young adult readers into the classics is to motivate them to read a good story.
When it comes to recommending books to young adults, librarians are often in a friendlier position than teachers. Librarians can recommend and then step back, always available later to chat about a book but seldom in a position to force the material on the reader. Teachers often play a stricter role, being tied to a curriculum or having to work through a required reading list.
For librarians, however, the freedom to recommend any book ever written may actually be too much freedom. The brain of the librarian typically locks up as soon as some one asks for "a good book to read." What to do?
Start a conversation with the reader. Find out what he or she is interested in. The key question to ask is, "Tell me about a book that you liked." The answer will give you clues to areas of interest as well as reading ability. Some one who likes Terry Pratchett may like Douglas Adams, a fan of Stephen King should definitely try Dracula.
It is helpful to walk and talk, move the conversation toward the stacks or the paperback rack, that way you will be reminded of titles as you see the books and you can recommend what is actually on the shelf and waiting to be checked out.
Offer several books. The books can be similar or radically different, but give the patron three or four. Tell a little about each book. Point out what is exciting and intriguing, share an anecdote you know about the author, mention that there is a great movie version, share your enthusiasm for the book (with out gushing or overdoing it), and you may gain it a new reader. Don't be ashamed to admit you haven't read it. Say honestly, "I haven't read this, but I hear it is great," or "lots of readers like this, but I haven't read it yet. Come back and tell me what you think of it." No one likes a phony intellectual and honestly admitting you have not read every book in the library can make you more approachable to teens.
Remember that some readers missed the classics of childhood. Not everyone read Kidnapped, The Secret Garden, The Wind in the Willows, or Little Women when they were younger. Others love to revisit these stories that they adored as children. When approached the right way, you can give an older reader a younger book. Let them know it isn't a baby book, it is a book for everyone—a story too good to miss—and if they missed it when they were younger they might like reading it now. Young adults are sensitive, and giving a teen reader a book that appears "too young" is more mortifying than giving them one that is too advanced. But consider that a classic children's book written a hundred years ago may be a challenging read, and because it is a classic, it will appeal on multiple levels. This is a valid reason to include in a library's collection mass-market paperback editions of childhood classics such as Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, or Alice in Wonderland. It is less embarrassing for a young adult reader to check out a paperback than an illustrated children's edition. Also new paperback editions (from Bantam, Signet, or Modern Library, for example) often include essays and introductory material interesting to the older reader.
Never be afraid to encourage a young adult to read up a level. Interest is definitely the key when encouraging readers to challenge themselves. A book with high interest appeal may inspire a reader to push through a difficult text. Moving a reader from Annette Klause's Silver Kiss to Bram Stoker's Dracula is easier when vampires are the motivating factor, not when you suggest, "this is a more challenging book." A complimentary "you seem like a mature enough reader to handle this" can be the motivation a reader needs.
Finally, ask for follow-up. When you are sincerely interested in the opinions of the young people to whom you recommend books, they will repay you by becoming thoughtful readers interested in discussing their reading with you because you are interested in their opinions.
Tina Frolund is a librarian with the Las Vegas Clark County Library District, where she runs the District-wide Words on Wheels outreach program. She has also worked as a children's librarian and a young adult librarian, and as a reference librarian in university and community college libraries. She is an active member of YALSA and a reviewer for VOYA: Voice of Youth Advocates.