Character Effect and Pseudo-Autobiographical Strategies in Contemporary Quebec Young Adult Literature

Abstract

Contemporary young adult fiction often has a child narrator, a narrative strategy that borrows heavily from autobiographical and autofictional conventions such as first-person narration, diaries, and correspondence. This has led to a widespread belief that readers identify more strongly with protagonists who resemble them, thereby enhancing their reading experience. This article challenges this assumption by applying Vincent Jouve's notion of “character effect” to three youth novels from Quebec: La corde à linge by Orbie (2019), Patrick Isabelle’s Henri et Cie. 1 Opération Béatrice (2016), and Cœur de slush by Sarah-Maude Beauchesne (2016).