<p>The aim of this paper is to show how teen culture, stereotypical identity performances, and bullying are intertwined in Jay Asher’s novel <i>Thirteen Reasons Why</i> (2007). Beginning with a brief discussion of what stereotypical identity performance is and how it is connected to young adult literature, the paper identifies different stereotypical identity performances within teen culture, such as the Mastermind, the Associate, the Entertainer, the Champion, the Queen Bee, and the Target, that the characters in Asher’s novel occupy, correlating these identity performances with different kinds of bullying and the impact of authoritative, authoritarian or indifferent parenting styles. The paper concludes by considering, in the light of possible objections, some consequences of proposed argument: it asserts that stereotypical identity performances are, to a great extent, inseparable from teen culture and the culture of bullying, which could have detrimental consequences on those affected by them, yet there exist possible resistance spaces, offering hope for readers experiencing the effects of stereotypical identities. This study of narrative structures of resistance to bullying demonstrates how identifying and critiquing the prevalence of stereotypical identity performances in young adult texts like Asher’s <i>Thirteen Reasons Why</i> can provide youth educators and the young people with whom they work with strategies for responding to bullying that include self-advocacy, survival, and transcendence.</p>

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Teen Culture, Stereotypical Identity Performances, and Bullying in Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why

  • Biljana Oklopčić,
  • Vedran Domjanović

摘要

The aim of this paper is to show how teen culture, stereotypical identity performances, and bullying are intertwined in Jay Asher’s novel Thirteen Reasons Why (2007). Beginning with a brief discussion of what stereotypical identity performance is and how it is connected to young adult literature, the paper identifies different stereotypical identity performances within teen culture, such as the Mastermind, the Associate, the Entertainer, the Champion, the Queen Bee, and the Target, that the characters in Asher’s novel occupy, correlating these identity performances with different kinds of bullying and the impact of authoritative, authoritarian or indifferent parenting styles. The paper concludes by considering, in the light of possible objections, some consequences of proposed argument: it asserts that stereotypical identity performances are, to a great extent, inseparable from teen culture and the culture of bullying, which could have detrimental consequences on those affected by them, yet there exist possible resistance spaces, offering hope for readers experiencing the effects of stereotypical identities. This study of narrative structures of resistance to bullying demonstrates how identifying and critiquing the prevalence of stereotypical identity performances in young adult texts like Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why can provide youth educators and the young people with whom they work with strategies for responding to bullying that include self-advocacy, survival, and transcendence.