How I Live Now Presentation

HOW I LIVE NOW- Meg Rosoff

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt_aDmkEPTQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt_aDmkEPTQ

The “Problem Novel”

Refers to sub-genre of Young Adult literature that deals exclusively with an adolescent’s first confrontation with a social or personal illness/issue/problem

as defined by Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_novel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_novel



Problem Novels

When we discussed Cut with the guest speakers, it was mentioned that some of the class member’s “emo” students loved and/or owned the book

The website www.problemnovels.wordpress.com has Problem Novel listed as a popular genre for the Emo audience. It even has a sub-heading entited “Emo Kids Rejoice.”

http://www.problemnovels.wordpress.com/

Problem NovelsOther examples of books that are Problem Novels

that we have mentioned in class:

• Catcher in the Rye

• Go Ask Alice

•Many Robert Cormier books

Problem NovelProblem Novels originated from

requests for literature that dealt with fundamental Young Adult issues such as depression, suicide, eating disorders, sex, drugs, sexual orientation and peer pressure.

Problem NovelFunctions of a Problem Novel:

– To provide moral instruction– To address change which is something that teens go thru– To identify concerns and issues for YAs – To have a therapeutic value to Yas– To let teens know that they are not alone in their suffering– To influence them to seek help for their problem(s)– To allow teens to learn about these problems if they haven’t

experienced them– To give teens the diversion of reading about other’s issues– To offer teens the opportunity to deal with issues/themes that

tend to be adult concerns

How I Live Now as a Problem Novel

Meg Rosoff said she liked writing for and about teens because the teen years are a very extreme time of life and that makes for intense transformations and intense possibilities for growth. She believes people find their teen years as a difficult and disturbing time, but also a time of great excitement and intensity.

http://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm/author_number/1059/Meg-Rosoff



Evolution of the Problem Novel:Traditional vs. How I Live Now

“Many of the first-person confessional narrators of the 1970s problem novel, for example, cannot resist the urge to tell the reader what they

have learned.”

Trites, Robert Seelinger. Disturbing the Universe – Power & Repression in Adolescent Literature. Iowa: University of Iowa Press, 2000.

vs.

Daisy shows us what she has learned about anorexia – she used to choose not to eat, then when she got to the point where she was

starving and had no option/choice to eat, she wished she could eat.

Dr. Betty Marcoux, 2004, The Information School of the University of Washingtonhttp://projects.ischool.washington.edu/elm2/ThePROBLEMNOVEL.ppt

http://projects.ischool.washington.edu/elm2/ThePROBLEMNOVEL.ppt


Novels of development – those that end before the protagonist reaches adulthood – are sometimes seen synonymously with problem novels – the character grows as s/he faces and resolves one specific problem.

Trites, Robert Seelinger, Disturbing the Universe – Power & Repression in Adolescent Literature. University of Iowa Press (2000)

vs.

Daisy grows as a person and gets over her anorexia, but at the same time, the book doesn’t show us any attempt to get rid of the incest problem.

Also, How I Live Now is not focused on one specific problem.




Tends to be very strongly subject oriented, with the focus being on the condition/problem rather than on the characters.

vs.

The text focuses more on the development of the characters, specifically Daisy, rather than her individual problems and

the problems surrounding her and her cousins.




Tends to be focused on a single issue or problem rather than focusing on multiple issues or problems.

vs.

References multiple problems: anorexia/eating disorder (Daisy), incest (Daisy/Edmond), cutting (Edmond), and

the war (Daisy and her cousins)




Interest primarily resides in the topic (problem) rather than in telling the story.

vs.

Story is definitely more focused on relationships between characters rather than on their various issues/problems.




Often ends with problem being solved/fixed.

vs.

Issues of cutting, anorexia, incest, etc. are never fully dealt with.



Anorexia Nervosa• To be diagnosed as having anorexia nervosa, according to the

DSM-IV-TR, a person must display:– Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal

weight for age and height : Weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight <85% of that expected or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85% of that expected.

– Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though under weight.

– Disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight.

– The absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles (amenorrhea) in women who have had their first menstrual period but have not yet gone through menopause (postmenarcheal, premenopausal females).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anorexia_nervosa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anorexia_nervosa

Daisy’s Anorexia

• One of the major problems in How I Live Now is Daisy’s anorexia.

• When did we first discover that this was a problem for her?– Daisy’s Quotes (page 1 of

the handout)– AUDIO

Daisy’s Anorexia• Typically in a problem novel, the problem is

addressed early on in the story and the remainder of the novel is about solving said problem. – How does the revelation of Daisy’s problem with

anorexia differ from the typical problem novel? – Do we have a clear view of the problem itself?– What indications, if any, do we have that an attempt

to solve the problem is in place?

Daisy vs. Callie

• With the person next to you, compare the introduction of Daisy’s battle with anorexia to the introduction of Callie’s battle with cutting in Cut.

vs.

Daisy’s Anorexia

• Also typical of the problem novel is the focus on solving the problem.

• How does the author choose to reveal the solution to this particular problem?– Daisy’s Quotes (page 2 of

the handout)– AUDIO

Daisy vs. Callie

• A problem novel is typically focused on solving the problem throughout the book.

• Again with the person sitting next to you, compare the solution aspect of Daisy’s anorexia with that of Callie’s cutting.

vs.

Daisy’s Anorexia as a “Problem”

• According to the functions and characteristics of a problem novel, and in regards to the anorexia, where does How I Live Now represent a problem novel and where does it become an evolution of the problem novel?

INCEST

Any sexual activity between closely related persons (often within the immediate family) that is illegal (legal penalties imposed in some jurisdictions) or a social taboo

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Famous Cousin/Cousin Relationships

Pride and Prejudice – Jane AustenElizabeth Bennett’s cousin, clergyman Mr. Collins, proposes marriage

to her, and her mother is supportive of the potential union

INCEST

Different cultures and jurisdictions have different terms for what type of sexual activity and nature of relationship constitutes a breach of law or social taboo

-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Famous Cousin/Cousin Relationships

Gone With the WindScarlett wants Ashley, but he is to marry his cousin, Melanie

INCEST

Some societies consider it to include only those who live in the same household; other societies consider it to include "blood relatives”

-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Famous Cousin/Cousin RelationshipsEdgar Allen Poe married his cousin, Virginia Clemm

H.G. Wells married his first cousin, Isabel Mary Wells

Daisy and Edmond

• First cousins – mothers were sisters• Never met each other before• No parental/adult supervision• No schedule or routine• Freedom to do whatever they wanted• All cousins have a unique relationship with

each other

Find quotes from the book that support the following:

• Daisy knows that her feelings are wrong/taboo

• At the same time, they continue to go on doing it

• They first act on their feelings

• Their interactions are described as very sexual

• In the end, they are together based on love

What is War?

• War is described as a reciprocated, armed conflict, between two or more non-congruous entities, aimed at reorganizing a subjectively designed, geo-politically desired result.

War Within War

• Daisy vs. Family• Daisy vs. Daisy

• Do you believe that the War that Daisy is fighting is self inflicted? – Is there any evidence that supports or rejects this

notion?

Problems of War

• What are some of the basic problems of War throughout this novel? – Separation of Families– Murder– Starvation/Rationing– PTSD– Power Struggles/Power shifts

The Author’s Take on War

• How does knowing the author’s view on war affect your reading of this text?

Problem v. Power

Do the characters gain power through the problems they

encounter?

Characters with Problems

Piper

Edmond and Isaac

Edmond

Daisy

How Do the Problems Lead to Empowerment

Piper grows up with out a mother and is forced to endure a war without the support system she’s had at nine years old.

How is this a problem that gives her power and strength?

Edmond and Isaac have a shift in power. Initially, Edmond is the dominant twin and Isaac stands in the distance, all the while observing.

How does the power shift between Isaac and Edmond?

How do the Problems lead to Empowerment?

When Daisy returns to England six years later, Edmond has changed from the boy she knew and loved previously.

Daisy notices cuts, both old and fresh, on Edmond’s arms.

Is Edmond’s cutting a problem or does it give him power?

How do the Problems lead to Empowerment

Daisy doesn’t eat as an act of rebellion toward her father, stepmother and future sibling.

She is sent to England and finds herself in the midst of WWIII. She admits that she likes to feel hungry. During the invasion, eating is no longer a luxury and becomes a necessity to her.

How does Daisy’s unwillingness to eat change and become a tool to strengthen and empower her as the story progresses?

Travel

How I Live Now Presentation