UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER FACULTY OF ARTS Problems of representation/representing sex, drugs and alcohol in contemporary British young adult fiction Vanessa Harbour Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy September 2011 UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER ABSTRACT FACULTY OF ARTS Doctor of Philosophy Problems of representation/representing sex, drugs and alcohol in contemporary British young adult fiction Vanessa Jane Harbour There is an ongoing debate into whether contentious issues, such as sex, drugs and alcohol, should be contained in young adult fiction (YAF). In this debate, the popular press most often represents the view that children, including young adults (YA), should be protected, and thereby remain innocent, thus characterising the inclusion of sensitive topics in children‟s fiction (including YAF) as an unacceptable assault on that innocence. Conversely, and as explored in this thesis, there are others, especially authors and academic critics (including myself) who suggest that fiction is an ideal place to explore such issues because of the nature of the vicarious experience it offers. This thesis is presented in two parts. The first is the creative aspect which is a YA novel entitled Ham & Jam. This is the story of four students on a school trip. They embark on a mission to save a young Afghan girl who had been trafficked and was being sold for sex. The novel developed out of the research undertaken for the second aspect of this thesis which is a critical exploration into how the contentious issues of sex, drugs and alcohol have been represented within YAF since 1996. Using Melvin Burgess‟s novel, Junk (1996) as a starting point, and his representation of sex, drugs and alcohol as a benchmark, a selection of British contemporary realist YAF from 1996 and for each subsequent year up to, and including, 2010 were compared critically and culturally from the dual perspective of writer and reader. The cultural research involved understanding society‟s perception of these contentious issues by examining current statistics and government reports. The results of which were used as a form of narrative system, enabling me to critically compare the representation of sex, drugs and alcohol in YAF with this „perceived‟ reality. DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP I, VANESSA HARBOUR, declare that the thesis entitled, Problems of representation/representing sex, drugs and alcohol in contemporary British young adult fiction, and the work presented in the thesis are both my own, and have been generated by me as the result of my own original research. I confirm that: this work was done wholly or mainly while in candidature for a research degree at this University; where any part of this thesis has previously been submitted for a degree or any other qualification at this University or any other institution, this has been clearly stated; where I have consulted the published work of others, this is always clearly attributed; where I have quoted from the work of others, the source is always given. With the exception of such quotations, this thesis is entirely my own work; I have acknowledged all main sources of help; where the thesis is based on work done by myself jointly with others, I have made clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself; none of this work has been published. Signed: ………………………………………………………………….. Date:……………………………………………………………………. Table of Contents Acknowledgements 1 Ham & Jam – a novel for YAs 2 The Critical Exegesis 210 Introduction 210 On the Border of Once Upon a Time in a Land Far, Far Away... 219 Young Adults and Their Fiction – a Journey fuelled by Sex, Drugs and Alcohol 234 History & Defining Young Adult Fiction 240 Representation 250 Sex: Comes Out From Under the Covers 253 Sex in YAF 260 Drugs – Everyone Does it! 266 Drugs in YAF 269 Alcohol – Always the Bridesmaid 282 Alcohol in YAF 284 Considering the Creative Process 285 Sex 295 Drugs 298 Alcohol 301 References 305 Appendix 1 322 Appendix 2 324 Acknowledgements Undertaking a PhD is to embark on a journey. This journey could not have been done without the support and encouragement of so many people. Firstly, there are my team of supervisors: Professor Andrew Melrose, Professor Elizabeth Stuart and Dr Paul Manning who fully supported my interdisciplinary project and were there whenever needed. I would particularly like to thank Professor Melrose, as my Director of Studies, he has been there throughout, supporting, cajoling, pushing and arguing where required, but most of all providing such great friendship (and a fantastic education in music). In the same way I would also like to express my eternal gratitude to Professor Stuart who was there for me throughout one of the most difficult points in my life and for the strength she gave me. Secondly, special thanks have to go to Jen Webb, who has supported and encouraged me throughout these last few months and also for her friendship despite the many thousands of miles that separate us. And to Debbie Welham who right from the start has provided support, inspiration and friendship, particularly in the last few weeks when she proof read the critical exegesis over and over again. I would also like to thank all these people who were there whenever I needed picking up and putting back together because the stress had overwhelmed me: Leonie Lipton, Jen Morgan, Tina Welch, Denise Hanrahan-Wells, Stephanie Spencer, Nancy Rosoff, Judy Waite, Judith Heneghan, Chrissie Ferngrove and Melanie Newman. You are all very special friends. I should also thank Carolyn Best and Helen Hitchings, my nutrition nurse and dietician, who kept me alive and able to function! Finally, a huge thank you to my children, Charlie, Charlie‟s partner Greg, Leo and Toby, for their tolerance, inspiration, understanding and support throughout (including answering some very strange questions). All of you have been my rock and I would be lost without you. But I also want to express my thanks to my sisters, Penny, Sue, Jacky and my brother, Nick plus our huge extended family, for putting up with a sister/aunt who has weird ideas. Most of all I want to say thank you to my parents, my Father who never saw this change of direction and my Mother who supported me so much but never saw the end. This PhD is dedicated to every single one of you. 1 Ham & Jam Working title PhD Submission Vanessa Harbour [email protected] 2 3 Chapter 1 Ben The girl just stared at him. „What?‟ Ben mouthed at her through the coach window but she didn‟t reply. Her staring made him feel uncomfortable. It was as if she had crawled inside him, sliced him wide open with an eight inch knife, and ripped her way into his soul. Her stare seemed to pick him out with pinpoint precision. It was as if she knew him, but how could she? He knew nothing about her except that she was a girl standing on the corner of a street in a strange city in a foreign country. And that she was looking at him, Ben Williamson, trouble maker and gang member, on a coach crawling through the streets of Caen on a school trip. Despite being abroad Ben knew she still looked out of place. A gash of red lipstick across her face masked childish lips. Her thick black hair tumbled down her back. The tight t-shirt she wore emphasised barely-begun breasts. She was a child, dressed like a Barbie doll, masquerading as a teenager. What he did understand though was what was written in her eyes. It was fear. Not a spider-in-the bath sort of fear but true, gut-busting fear. Of life and the future. Ben had seen it before. You didn‟t live on the estates without knowing and understanding that sort of fear. But what could he do? He turned to Thea who was sleeping next to him and tried to wake her. „Thea, Thea, look at this girl,‟ She grunted and turned away, „Gerroff Ben, I feel sick. Leave me alone.‟ 4 He turned around again and looked at the corner but she‟d gone. He couldn‟t see her anywhere. She‟d just melted into the mêlée. He‟d lost her. Perhaps he had imagined her. Ben leant back into his seat. It was cool in the coach with its air conditioning and tinted windows. He stretched his legs out a bit more but he felt twitchy and he wanted to move. The journey was too long and the image of the girl‟s face appeared every time he shut his eyes. He looked out of the window to take his mind off her. He saw a group of people sitting outside a café at tables adorned with ashtrays and menus. They were drinking wine or coffee, most were smoking with packets of cigarettes strewn across the tables. Everyone seemed to be talking rapidly, semaphoring their conversation with exaggerated waving hands. Next door to the café was Boulangerie Patisserie Raison Sarl. Ben silently mouthed the words, letting them roll round his mouth like a boiled sweet. There were baskets of freshly baked baguettes all standing to attention in one window and multi- coloured macaroons and luxurious gateaux in the other. There was a queue of people waiting outside. The food looked good. His stomach grumbled and he remembered how hungry he was. Ben twisted around trying to make sure he could remember how to get there, looking for landmarks. In the distance a large castle stood guard. It was perched high on a grass mound. He looked back at the shops; Xavier Fleurs was next with its window full of colour.