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Where’s the Beef?

Wendy’s produced a commercial in 1984 where a group of elderly women questioned

McDonald’s and Burger King with “Where’s the beef?” This fast food giant mocked the other

food chains’ big fluffy bun and puny meat patty by comparing it to their generous serving of beef

which extended to the edges of the bun. Some critics of young adult literature (YAL) make the

same inquiry of literature for teens, essentially asking “Where’s the beef?” as they claim it

cannot sustain core standards or offer enough substance to be considered as part of the literary

canon. At best, YAL is treated as an appetizer before the entree is served or as a dessert after the

main meal of reading has been completed. Other scholars disagree with the claims that YAL

does not offer sophisticated literary value and explain that this literature can offer plenty of beef

and substance for the middle and high school ELA classrooms.

According to Cindy Lou Daniels, author of “Literary Theory and Young Adult

Literature,” many theorists dismiss YAL and its connection to the literary community beyond its

ability to connect readers historically or psychologically to the text being read (78). Louel

Gibbons et al., a team of researchers who completed a study with 142 ELA teachers, uncovered a

common theme among the teachers in the study: the belief that YAL lacked sophisication and

literary merit (55). In a word: no beef. However, as the data emerged, these researchers found

evidence that the beef was indeed there in terms of interest, literacy, and relevancy.

During the course of their study, additional critical themes emerged. Gibbons et al.,

found the teachers surveyed believe YAL relates to students’ interests, builds literacy skills, and

addresses the issue of time in an already overcrowded curriculum (56-7). In my experience as an

ELA high school teacher, part of what beefs up YAL is its readability and relevancy for teen
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readers. As a classroom teacher, I know that YAL offers multiple points of conversation for my

students, promoting accessibility for them all including reluctant readers. Roberta Seelinger

Trites, author of​ Disturbing the Universe: Power and Repression in Adolescent Literature

submits that part of YAL’s value lies in the opportunity for adolescents to learn about the social

forces at play upon their lives (3). Having an opportunity for young people to understand and

explore the human condition, especially their own, adds to YAL’s beefiness.

There is no doubt that YAL appeals to teens’ appetites. Students identify with age,

gender, and socio-economic and personal issues presented in the literature. Teen novels are

written in language students understand without the need for teacher interpretation of text. Like

many toddlers who snap their jaws shut and refuse certain foods, reluctant readers often do the

same with canonical and classic texts. The right enticement is needed for them to try something

new. In this way, many reluctant readers acquiesce to reading when presented with just the right

novel. Additionally, there are many genres that whet their appetites even more: poetry, fantasy,

dystopian, science fiction, graphic novels, and various forms of nonfiction (Gibbons, et al 55).

The question then is what affords this beefy burger of YAL a place on the ELA

classroom menu. One tasty tidbit is the distinction YAL has of being enjoyed by youth and

adults alike, which increases its value for both literary appreciation and instruction. If S.E.

Hinton’s ​Outsiders ​opened YAL up as burger fast food, then J K Rowling’s ​Harry Potter ​series

increased its epicurean value with its ability to undergo scholarly analysis. Daniels points out

that Rowling's success with ​Harry Potter​ opened up “respectable scholarly debate” (79), which

instantly increased YAL’s value in the ELA classroom. Literary criticism futhers the nutritional

value of YAL with the belief that the ideological messages can be and should be analyzed in the
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middle and high school classrooms. Daniels is not the only scholar to point out the respect that

theoretical exploration brings to YAL in its recognition as literature. Trites continues this

argument by adding YAL must undergo the same critique as adult literature and offers several

postmodern theories as a vehicle for analysis, which include Marxism, Gender Studies, and

Critical Race Theory, among others (xiii). Applying postmodern theories to YAL provides its

connoisseurs’ insight into social, cultural, gender, and race power struggles inherent in their

world. Trites asserts literature for adolescents involves both liberation and repression of power as

teens navigate the social institutions at play in their lives (x). When students apply literary

critical theory to YAL, they are engaging in inquiry based learning which allows them to accept

diversity, understand their culture and even act as an agent of change in their world. YAL offers

opportunity for adolescents to critically examine the ideas being presented by their

culture--therein lies the beef.

Teachers who offer students material to read that relates to them and then intentionally

use it to meet core standards and assessment objectives are similar to Wendy’s kind of people

who never have to ask “Where’s the beef?”

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Works Cited

Daniels, Cindy Lou. “Literary Theory and Young Adult Literature: The Open Frontier in Critical

Studies.” ​The ALAN Review,​ vol. 33, no. 2, 2006, doi:10.21061/alan.v33i2.a.11.

Gibbons, Louel C., et al. “Young Adult Literature in the English Curriculum Today.” ​The ALAN

Review,​ Summer 2006.

Ignacia, Coleman. “Wendy's Where's the Beef? Commercial (1984).” ​YouTube​, YouTube, 16

Dec. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4U8NPRhZPo.

Trites, Roberta Seelinger. ​Disturbing the Universe Power and Repression in Adolescent

Literature​. Univ. of Iowa Press, 2010.