Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University Institute for Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Theses Studies Summer 6-7-2013 Monsters In My Bed: Accounting For The Popularity Of Young Adult Paranormal Romances Whitney Young Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/wsi_theses Recommended Citation Young, Whitney, "Monsters In My Bed: Accounting For The Popularity Of Young Adult Paranormal Romances." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2013. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/wsi_theses/32 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Institute for Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. MONSTERS IN MY BED: ACCOUNTING FOR THE POPULARITY OF YOUNG ADULT PARANORMAL ROMANCES by WHITNEY A. YOUNG Under the direction of Amira Jarmakani ABSTRACT Using textual analysis of 49 young adult paranormal romances, I answer what is it about the cultural milieu that makes these novels popular right now? This thesis argues that the discourse which emerges from the novels reflects contemporary discourse and narrative about the girls and young women who read this genre and who place themselves within this discourse and narrative. The novels respond to this discourse by offering instances where the girls’ ideologies, built on the discourses taught to them, can be temporarily restored when the narrative proves false. These novels also undermine the confining discourse which the girls find themselves stuck in.