Narratives of Sexuality in the Lives of Young Women Readers
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Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 6-7-2019 2:30 PM Narratives of Sexuality in the Lives of Young Women Readers Davin L. Helkenberg The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Paulette M. Rothbauer The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Library & Information Science A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Doctor of Philosophy © Davin L. Helkenberg 2019 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons, Education Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, and the Library and Information Science Commons Recommended Citation Helkenberg, Davin L., "Narratives of Sexuality in the Lives of Young Women Readers" (2019). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 6284. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/6284 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract In recent years, research on adolescent sexuality in Young Adult (YA) Literature has included a discussion of its potential role in sex education. Based on the extensive yet problematic presentation of sexuality within these texts, it has gained both support and opposition. However, very few empirical studies have been done on how readers say YA Literature has informed their sexual lives. This thesis investigates how narratives of sexuality found within YA Literature may inform the sexual lives of young women readers by examining both readers’ experiences and YA texts. First, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 female participants (aged 18 to 24) on their experiences reading sexually- themed YA Literature. Thematic analysis was used to identify, analyse and report themes found within the interview data. Second, a sample of YA texts of different genres and formats was closely read for presentations of adolescent sexuality. Textual analysis was used to analyse themes within four texts that were thematically significant in relation to readers’ experiences. This study found that YA Literature has the potential to give a more nuanced portrayal of sexuality than traditional sex education, but it also lacks content that appeals to some readers’ sexual curiosities and information needs. The readers reported that YA Literature informed them on many aspects of sexuality, including the biological, social, emotional, pleasurable, and painful aspects of sexual relationships. However, in many cases, these readers also “read up” or turned to online fiction to read more complex, erotic, or diverse stories. Along with these responses, the author uses YA texts to demonstrate how themes, tropes, and codes about sexuality may inform the sexual lives of young readers, sometimes in ways that were unexpected or have yet to be examined. The findings both support and refute previous studies on sexuality in YA Literature, revealing that although there are many positive qualities of YA Literature when informing young readers on sexuality, improvements need to be made in the areas of female character development, descriptive sex scenes, and positive representation of LGBTQ relationships. The author also makes recommendations for how librarians can help to improve access to sexually-themed materials for young people. ii Summary for Lay Audience In recent years, research on adolescent sexuality in Young Adult (YA) Literature has included a discussion of its potential role in sex education. Based on the extensive yet problematic presentation of sexuality within these texts, it has gained both support and opposition. However, very few studies have been done on how readers say YA Literature has informed their sexual lives. This thesis investigates how narratives of sexuality found within YA Literature may inform the sexual lives of young women readers by examining both readers’ experiences and YA texts. First, interviews were conducted with 11 female participants (aged 18 to 24) on their experiences reading sexually-themed YA Literature. Thematic analysis was used to identify, analyse and report themes found within the interview data. Second, a sample of YA texts of different genres and formats was closely read for presentations of adolescent sexuality. Textual analysis was used to analyse themes within four texts that were thematically significant in relation to readers’ experiences. This study found that YA Literature has the potential to give a more nuanced portrayal of sexuality than traditional sex education, but it also lacks content that appeals to some readers’ sexual curiosities and information needs. The readers reported that YA Literature informed them on many aspects of sexuality, including the biological, social, emotional, pleasurable, and painful aspects of sexual relationships. However, in many cases, these readers also “read up” or turned to online fiction to read more complex, erotic, or diverse stories. Along with these responses, the author uses YA texts to demonstrate how themes, tropes, and codes about sexuality may inform the sexual lives of young readers, sometimes in ways that were unexpected or have yet to be examined. The findings both support and refute previous studies on sexuality in YA Literature, revealing that although there are many positive qualities of YA Literature when informing young readers on sexuality, improvements need to be made in the areas of female character development, descriptive sex scenes, and positive representation of LGBTQ relationships. The author also makes recommendations for how librarians can help to improve access to sexually-themed materials for young people. iii Keywords Reading, Everyday Life, Information Sources, Young Adult Literature, Sexuality, Public Libraries, Collection Development. iv Acknowledgments Doing a Ph.D. has been the most rewarding and hardest thing that I have done so far in my life. It would have been a whole lot harder without the help and support of all the wonderful people in my life. In fact, I think it would have been impossible. I would first like to thank my supervisor, Dr. Paulette Rothbauer. I met Paulette during my MLIS in 2010 and she has continually supported my research endeavours since then. Anyone who has met Paulette knows that she is a truly special person: kind-hearted, clever, and dedicated to her students. During the course of this project, she carefully guided my work in all of the best ways possible. I am so very grateful that I had the opportunity to learn from such a brilliant and humble person. Also on my thesis committee, Dr. Lynne McKechnie has been a shining star to me throughout my journey. Lynne’s cheerful and generous spirit kept me going during the hardest times of the Ph.D. I want to thank Lynne for faithfully reading and providing feedback on my work. Lynne has also been a wonderful example to me as someone who genuinely respects young people as experts on their own lives. I will carry that with me in any project that I do with youth. My last committee member is a very special one – Buffy. Buffy is the first dog to be on a thesis committee in our department and she definitely played an important role. I adopted Buffy during the first semester of my PhD, and she has been my best friend ever since. I do not think I would have made it through without her companionship and reluctant hugs. I would also like to thank Dr. Susan Knabe, Dr. Carole Farber, Dr. Miranda Green-Barteet, and Dr. Amy Pattee for serving on my examining committee. Their questions and suggestions will continue to inform this work and I am very lucky to have had this feedback from scholars that I admire. I also wish to acknowledge the Faculty of Information and Media Studies (FIMS). FIMS is such a special place to me and I will forever be shaped by the culture and community of this faculty. A very many thanks to all of the faculty and staff who were helpers to me during my v education. I would especially like to thank Dr. Daniel Robinson, who has become a great mentor and friend. A tremendous thank you to the young women who volunteered to participate in this study. I learned so much from what they had to say, and I know others will be interested in reading their stories. I will honour their contributions by reaching as many people as I can with this project. My mom was also a big support to me throughout my education and deserves special thanks. Thank you to my mom for providing me with a home, putting up with Buffy’s hairs, and for understanding that doing a PhD takes a long, long time. Last but not least, my amazing friends. I will start with my two wonderful cohortmates, Kelsang Legden (Roger Chabot) and Nicole Dalmer. We did it! I can’t believe it! Zak Bronson, thank you for being a true, and funny, friend. Yimin Chen, we will all have to make it a point to get pho whenever we can. And a very special acknowledgement to René, who painstakingly edited some of my work by solar power, and who taught me to follow these wise words: “Just do the best you can. That’s all a person can do”. vi Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments............................................................................................................... v Table of Contents .............................................................................................................