Award Date

May 2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

First Committee Member

Siddharth Srikanth

Second Committee Member

Jessica Teague

Third Committee Member

Melissa Carrion

Fourth Committee Member

Tanachai Mark Padoongbatt

Number of Pages

64

Abstract

Contemporary young adult literature (YAL) is a growing genre that features a diverse range of stories, allowing young readers to see themselves reflected in realistic stories. One of its prominent subgenres, contemporary young adult romance focuses on a modern love story between two individuals. Historically, Asian American female characters were often depicted as the “model minority” stereotype or represented as exoticized figures who held traits such as mysterious, submissive, or seductive creatures. These portrayals often treated the Asian American experience as monolithic. However, the genre now explores an intersection of identity and romance, addressing themes commonly found in contemporary realism that have moved past historical tropes and themes of trauma and assimilation. In contemporary YA romance, by analyzing the four YA contemporary romance novels: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2014) by Jenny Han, Not Here to Be Liked (2021) by Michelle Quach, A Pho Love Story (2021) by Loan Le, and Emergency Contact (2018) by Mary H.K. Choi, I argue that the Asian female protagonist uses love as a catalyst for self-discovery, while their cultural heritage serves as a driving force to intertwine narratives of cultural negotiation and personal growth.. This raises the question: how have harmful stereotypes evolved from their historical narratives into modern stories, and what do they reveal in terms of racial hierarchies and identities of the self?

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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