Judy Blume, Forever

Leah Phillips (University of Warwick)

Ed. by Dimitra Fimi, University of Glasgow
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 3.2.4: American (US) Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary, 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Emory Elliott (University of California, Riverside), Dale Enggass (University of Utah), Christopher Hugh Gair (University of Glasgow), Matthew Hofer (University of New Mexico), Stephen E. Meats (Pittsburg State University), Kerry Myler (Newman University), Justin Parks (UiT - The Arctic University of Norway), Nick Selby (University of East Anglia)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1975

Places

United States (Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Children's Literature
- Young Adult

Resources

Addressing the complexities of growing up, Judy Blume’s books for young people — especially Forever (1975) in its depiction of adolescent sexual awakening — have guided countless teenagers through the delights and trials of adolescence, the years between childhood and adulthood. Blume’s earlier Deenie (1973) deals with adolescent body image, and her iconic Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (1970) with puberty, particularly menarche. Forever, however, takes adolescence to the cusp of adulthood by addressing sex, a subject many adults would prefer to keep from children. Thus, while the novel’s premise, boy meets girl, is quite simple, the novel’s approach to a…

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2299 words

Citation: Phillips, Leah. "Forever". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 July 2018 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=38832, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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