Abstract

Despite a proliferation of young adult fiction (YAF) dealing with bullying, and an awareness of the usefulness of YAF in creating an awareness of bullying, little research has been done on this subgenre. In an effort to address this hiatus in research on bullying, this paper reports on findings from a qualitative content analysis of two popular YAF novels that feature bullying, namely William Golding’s Lord of the Flies and R.J. Palacio’s 2012 bestseller Wonder. Both novels’ depiction of bullying as repetitive, aggressive and negative behaviour, characterised by an imbalance of power, is in line with research findings on the topic. This study highlights the potential of the two novels creating an awareness of bullying among their readers. The findings shed light on, for example, different types of bullying, the characteristics of bullies, victims and bystanders and the role that parental and teacher involvement or the lack thereof can play in the fight against bullying.

Author: Corene De Wet

Published in: Ireland International Conference on Education (IICE-2024)

  • Date of Conference: 28-30 October, 2024
  • DOI: 10.20533/IICE.2024.10.0006
  • ISBN: 978-1-913572-73-0
  • Conference Location: Dún Laoghaire, Ireland

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