Talk:Problem novel

Merge
These two articles appear to talk about two difference things but use the same (or very similar) term. My belief is that this should be one article that deals with the ideas comprehensively. :: Kevinalewis  :  (Talk Page) / (Desk)  10:34, 14 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Merge - agree with nom -- Orange Mike 16:17, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

First Problem Novel to Win the Newbery Medal?
In Welcome to Lizard Motel by Barbara Feinberg, Bridge to Terabithia is classified as a problem novel, and it won the Newbery Medal five years before Dicey's Song. AlanJM (talk) 07:14, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Needs Work
This article really did not help me to understand what a problem novel is, is supposed to be or why it would be considered a positive or negative lable. 24.56.242.121 (talk) 16:26, 5 December 2008 (UTC)amyanda2000

Wrong definition
The definition given here does not agree with the definition given in two reputable dictionaries of literary terms or the Encyclopaedia Britannica online, which has: "social problem novel, also called problem novel or social novel, work of fiction in which a prevailing social problem, such as gender, race, or class prejudice, is dramatized through its effect on the characters of a novel." Rwood128 (talk) 22:50, 2 November 2012 (UTC)
 * Could be we've got two sub-sections of the publishing and literary world which use the same term for two different things. If so, we need to create two separate articles and disambiguate. -- Orange Mike &#x007C;  Talk  05:56, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

I've done a little more research and it seems that the term is possibly correct, but that users discussing young adult literature seem to be ignoring that it has a history, and behave as if it is a separate genre of young adult literature. However, the Young-adult fiction page defines it differently, that is as a coming of age novel or bildungsroman. My first suggestion would be to change the title of the article to "Problem novels in young adult fiction" or, alternatively have an introductory section that gives the historical context, followed by a sub-heading "Young adult problem novels". But it would be better to close this article and transfer it to the Young-adult fiction page, which looks like it needs developing. There is also the fact that it appears, from my cursory reading, that such novels create problems for parents and school authorities, and that this sometimes influences how the term is used. Rwood128 (talk) 16:59, 3 November 2012 (UTC)

As re-written, this article now mostly duplicates the subject matter, if not the content, of social novel!!!! We need to discuss a potential merger. -- Orange Mike &#x007C;  Talk  16:40, 6 November 2012 (UTC)


 * There may be even more pages that cover similar, if not identical, territory. Did you realise that there's also a Problem fiction page and a Social problem novel page? I created numerous 'See also' links yesterday which underline this. Rwood128 (talk) 21:18, 6 November 2012 (UTC)


 * http://www.slate.com/articles/life/sandbox/2005/06/battle_of_the_books.html might be a way of expanding the YA aspect. It has links to a few other sources.  WhatamIdoing (talk) 23:28, 6 November 2012 (UTC)

Merging and deleting articles?
I have suggested the merging of the Problem novel and Problem fiction article on the Talk page of Problem fiction. May I also suggest that this page, and the Social novel page, merge with the Social problem novel. But my impression is that such changes are slow to achieve.Rwood128 (talk) 13:56, 13 November 2012 (UTC)
 * In fact the Social problem novel does not have a page and you are redirected to the Social novel, so I'd suggest that it should be the main page. Rwood128 (talk) 13:56, 13 November 2012 (UTC)====Talk page

Deletion of this article*
There is also a Problem novel page and it is more developed than this one. In addition there are other similar pages such as the Social problem novel page. I therefore suggest that this page be merged with the Problem novel page and a disambiguation connection established. Later, perhaps, further mergers can be made. Rwood128 (talk) 15:23, 12 November 2012 (UTC)
 * i.e, Problem fiction.