The Coach in YA Literature: Mentor or Dementor
Keywords
English teachers, young adult literature, teacher characters
Abstract
It's not unusual for English teachers to appear as minor characters in young adult literature. Sometimes they're cast in negative roles -- victims like Mr. Griffin in Killing Mr. Griffin or villains, like Brother Leon in The Chocolate War -- and sometimes in positive roles -- objects of respect like Mr. Chips in Good Bye, Mr. Chips or objects of infatuation, like Sylvia Barret in Up the Down Staircase . Their appearances aren't surprising; it's logical that English teachers, in their various incarnations, should appear about as frequently and as prominently in YA novels as they do in real-life secondary schools.
It's not unusual for English teachers to appear as minor characters in young adult literature. Sometimes they're cast in negative roles -- victims like Mr. Griffin in Killing Mr. Griffin or villains, like Brother Leon in The Chocolate War -- and sometimes in positive roles -- objects of respect like Mr. Chips in Good Bye, Mr. Chips or objects of infatuation, like Sylvia Barret in Up the Down Staircase . Their appearances aren't surprising; it's logical that English teachers, in their various incarnations, should appear about as frequently and as prominently in YA novels as they do in real-life secondary schools.
Original Publication Citation
“The Coach in YA Literature: Mentor or Dementor,” The ALAN Review. 22.1 (Fall 1994): 47-50.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Crowe, Chris, "The Coach in YA Literature: Mentor or Dementor" (1994). Faculty Publications. 9599.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/9599
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
1994
Publisher
The ALAN Review
Language
English
College
Humanities
Department
English
Copyright Use Information
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