Do you think series fiction is evil? Well, ‘evil’ is possibly an overstatement, but some people definitely consider it inherently unchallenging. I’m thinking particularly of extensive series for the very young – Rainbow Magic et cetera.
I must admit I would probably once have instinctively shared this feeling. Formulaic, repetitive stuff! Who wants that?
The answer is of course, most young children. Repetition to them is not dullness but reassurance and a chance to establish mastery of something that is initially very new. At that age you are learning what a story is, what archetypes are, how to read new words on a micro level and understand on a macro level how ideas weave together to make a story rather than a list.
The argument in favour of repetitive series goes something like this:
Child is suspicious of books. Child acquires series fiction book and finds it accessible and digestible. Child likes the experience and wants another. Repeat ad many-am. Child has bookshelf of many books. Child thinks ‘I like books. I’m familiar with books. Books are for me!’ Happy reading ever after.
This strikes me as pretty convincing. It won’t be like that for every kid; some will seek books on their own and some will just not be interested whatever they are offered. But long series get books on shelves, and for every mum who groans at being expected to buy book number N in an ever-expanding series, there is another who is relieved that junior is finding a way into reading.
So dismissing series fiction as a negative influence is a bit like saying, ‘Bike stabilisers, how wussy! Either you start riding properly at once, or just don’t bother’. Some kids will go ahead and succeed anyway, but you’re removing a potential source of help.
This is a great post, Anna, and I agree wholeheartedly. Anything that fills a bookshelf can't possibly be evil!
ReplyDeleteAs a Working Partners editor, I couldn't agree more!
ReplyDeleteThere was a great moment when my son,having read and enjoyed every Beast Quest book up to around number 17 - and introduced everyone in his class to them - said to me,'I don't want any more, they're all the same story.' They developed his enthusiasm for reading, gave him fluency,and established critical thinking. Not bad!
ReplyDeleteI have always been of the view that writers like Enid Blyton (series after series) are not necessarily bad as long as the reader can move beyond them eventually. They are perhaps like other baby food, soft and mushy, and the reader will graduate to real 'solids'.
ReplyDeleteRight on! And I particularly like the Beast Quest comment.
ReplyDeleteEveryone likes series fiction, then!
ReplyDelete(Though I can't quite imagine Clemmo saying 'Right on!' and pumping his fist).
No, not evil but just culturally sad. In my experience bright children are lured by the beautiful covers featuring cuddly animals and gorgeous fairies but find the bland, impersonal writing between the covers dull. Often, it is the parents that get punished with having to read out aloud the awful prose. The shelves may be groaning with endless 'collections' of beautifully produced, ultra-thin books invented by publishers for the sole purpose of making themselves richer, deskilling writers and boring editors to tears. Yet, it is still the unpredictable Varjak Paw that gets read with any degree of interest, love and excitement, late at night by even the most dyslexia impaired nine year old. The more we underestimate children, the more power we are going to give to the book packaging industry. The more power we give to it, the more sad, conformist, unimaginative and devoid of meaning our children's literature will become as publishers get more and more used to monopolising the children's market, deceiving their readers and just keeping the royalties to themselves.
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