The Sidekick Comes of Age: How Young Adult Literature is Shifting the Sidekick Paradigm
Literary sidekicks like Dr. Watson and Robin the Boy Wonder have not been the singular subject of a significant critical study—until now. Using young adult literature (YA) to study the sidekick reveals new and exciting ways to understand these kinds of characters and this kind of literature. YA has embraced the sidekick, recognizing the way the character reflects the importance of growth and finding one’s place in the world. The nature of many YA texts allows sidekicks to grow beyond literary or historical origins. This includes letting sidekicks “evolve” over the course of multiple texts, using parallel novels to add complexity to a sidekick’s characterization, and telling a story from the sidekick’s perspective, paradoxically making the sidekick the hero. A singularly focused and prolonged study helps to establish sidekick scholarship as a burgeoning field in and of itself.
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The Sidekick Comes of Age: How Young Adult Literature is Shifting the Sidekick Paradigm
Literary sidekicks like Dr. Watson and Robin the Boy Wonder have not been the singular subject of a significant critical study—until now. Using young adult literature (YA) to study the sidekick reveals new and exciting ways to understand these kinds of characters and this kind of literature. YA has embraced the sidekick, recognizing the way the character reflects the importance of growth and finding one’s place in the world. The nature of many YA texts allows sidekicks to grow beyond literary or historical origins. This includes letting sidekicks “evolve” over the course of multiple texts, using parallel novels to add complexity to a sidekick’s characterization, and telling a story from the sidekick’s perspective, paradoxically making the sidekick the hero. A singularly focused and prolonged study helps to establish sidekick scholarship as a burgeoning field in and of itself.
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The Sidekick Comes of Age: How Young Adult Literature is Shifting the Sidekick Paradigm

The Sidekick Comes of Age: How Young Adult Literature is Shifting the Sidekick Paradigm

by Stephen M. Zimmerly
The Sidekick Comes of Age: How Young Adult Literature is Shifting the Sidekick Paradigm

The Sidekick Comes of Age: How Young Adult Literature is Shifting the Sidekick Paradigm

by Stephen M. Zimmerly

Hardcover

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Overview

Literary sidekicks like Dr. Watson and Robin the Boy Wonder have not been the singular subject of a significant critical study—until now. Using young adult literature (YA) to study the sidekick reveals new and exciting ways to understand these kinds of characters and this kind of literature. YA has embraced the sidekick, recognizing the way the character reflects the importance of growth and finding one’s place in the world. The nature of many YA texts allows sidekicks to grow beyond literary or historical origins. This includes letting sidekicks “evolve” over the course of multiple texts, using parallel novels to add complexity to a sidekick’s characterization, and telling a story from the sidekick’s perspective, paradoxically making the sidekick the hero. A singularly focused and prolonged study helps to establish sidekick scholarship as a burgeoning field in and of itself.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781498586795
Publisher: Lexington Books
Publication date: 04/09/2019
Series: Children and Youth in Popular Culture
Pages: 164
Product dimensions: 6.31(w) x 9.08(h) x 0.76(d)

About the Author

Stephen M. Zimmerly is assistant professor of English at the University of Indianapolis.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Using Young Adult Literature to Study Sidekicks

Chapter One: Four Classic Sidekick Roles: Exploring Sidekicks as Narrative Gateways, Devil’s Advocates, Comic Relief, and Foils

Chapter Two: Family Ties: An Investigation into the Potential Familial Relationships between Heroes and Sidekicks

Chapter Three: The Secondary Hero: Neville Longbottom and Tenar as Sidekicks-Turned-Heroes

Chapter Four: The Sidekick Sequel: Reinventing Sidekicks through Parallel Novels

Chapter Five: The Self-Aware Sidekick: Studying Sidekicks in First-Person Sidekick Superhero Stories

Conclusion

Bibliography

About the Author
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