Gothic and young adult literature: Werewolves, vampires, monsters, rebellion, broken hearts and true romance

Young Adult (YA) Gothic fiction is contradictory, just like the teenage years. It is, on the one hand, deeply disturbing, as is all good Gothic writing, and also often, in its intent and achievement, deeply conservative and confirmatory. YA Gothic raises a number of issues which are central to Young Adult literature in general, and also to the Gothic. At the core is the radical, creative, troublesome spirit of much Gothic, aligned with the disturbance and questioning of that equally troublesome teenage period in our lives. In some of its darker moments, YA Gothic pitches rationalism against the forces of religion, dealing with free will, identity and self-determination, damnation or redemption.