By Rebecca Davis '15
If you look around most English classes, you’ll probably notice that there are far more women than men in the classroom. Siena College English major Mike Clemens ’15 is doing research to find out why this trend exists and what can be done to bring equality to learning literature.
Through the Casey Summer Fellowship, Clemens is working under the guidance of Todd Snyder, Ph.D., assistant professor of English. He has already discovered one big problem that is causing young men to shy away from studying literature: young adult literature doesn’t appeal visually to them.
According to Clemens’ research, young adult book covers frequently include pastel colors and pictures of young women and couples. At a glance, this makes the books appear “feminine” and causes young male readers to pass on the books before they give them a chance.
“I think it is important to teach young men that just because a novel has romance in it, or it has a “feminine” cover, does not mean that it holds no value for him,” Clemens said.
Clemens found that if young men are shown a book with a “feminine” cover and are independently given a synopsis of it, they respond negatively to the cover but positively to the synopsis. This finding demonstrates that the content is often appealing to both genders, but imagery is preventing young men from reading the books.
Rather than blame publishing companies for not making books appealing to men, Clemens wants to see these books being taught to young men in a way that is relatable to them. He believes that young adult literature has a place in the classroom and has to be taught in a way that is impartial to gender, especially because young adult literature could be used to enhance the teaching of classic literature.
“I firmly believe that there is a book out there for everyone and if they are only introduced to it, that book could change their life,” Clemens said. “A number of popular (young adult) books deal with pressing social issues and it's a shame, and a real risk we take when we do nothing to get boys involved in the conversation.”
Clemens hopes to take the knowledge he’s gained during his summer research and someday apply it to teaching in high school or at the college level. Ultimately, Clemens plans to write young adult literature and contribute to the field that has already helped him learn so much.
