What do writings like Jane Austen’s novels and letters have in common with YA literature? Two 2026 Education Week lectures offered a possible answer.
It might be hard to imagine stories more different than The Outsiders and Pride and Prejudice. But every style of writing can offer new or relatable perspectives that build connections between readers. These two lectures by College of Humanities faculty at BYU’s 2026 Education Week taught that writing—whether young adult (YA) literature, 19th century novels, or personal letters—has the power to bring people together.
A Place for Young Adult Literature
YA literature became recognized as a bona fide genre around 1967 when S.E. Hinton published The Outsiders, a book that explored coming of age amid class conflict, gang violence, and family dysfunction. Associate Dean Dawan Coombs (Adolescent Literacy and Struggling Readers) explored the merits of the genre in her lecture “Reading and Talking about Young Adult Literature of Good Report and Praiseworthy.” Many YA readers, she explained, are drawn to the genre’s honest portrayal of heavy topics. “YA books reflect what’s happening in real life, and they reflect what’s happened in history.”
Even while YA books cover difficult topics, they strive to do so through the lens of hope. Coombs quoted the words of a neuroscientist who said, “You are what you eat. The stories you consume become a part of you.” Coombs explained, “If you’re reading things that are giving you hope, they’re helping you see how you overcome adversity.” YA literature not only offers readers insight into themselves but also helps them develop empathy for others and create honest conversation about the ups and downs of life.
With such a vast array of books in the genre, Coombs offered some criteria for finding YA literature that is, as the 13th Article of Faith says, “of good report or praiseworthy.” For instance, this kind of YA book should invite conversation with friends and family, like Simon Sort of Says by Erin Bow, a novel that makes its readers laugh as much as wonder about the effects of grief and trauma.
YA books that are “of good report or praiseworthy” should also help readers “as they work to overcome troubles or struggles and become brave people,” Coombs said. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, for example, shares the perspective of multiple young adults that learn—both correctly and incorrectly—how to navigate fear.
Whether nonfiction, fantasy, or graphic novel, Coombs believes that YA literature will “open up minds to possibilities of the way that we can go forward and open the world.” As YA literature readers see themselves and others in relatably portrayed life situations, they better understand that people of all kinds are strong and capable of coming together.
Jane Austen and Her Works
Jane Austen’s novels, while not considered YA literature, are enjoyed by readers of all ages. But Austen didn’t just write novels—she also wrote hundreds of letters to friends and family throughout her life. In a lecture entitled “Strengthening the Family: Jane Austen’s Kinkeeping,” Adjunct Faculty Jane Hinckley discussed the many ways that Austen’s life, letters, and writings promoted a particular practice called “kinkeeping.” Hinckley referenced an article that defined kinkeeping as “the act of maintaining and strengthening extended families through upholding and handing down family traditions.” The role of kinkeeper has historically been held by women, often passed down from mother to daughter—and Austen herself was a kinkeeper for her family.
Hinckley shared many creatively crafted letters Austen wrote throughout her life as a form of kinkeeping. One letter that Austen wrote to her brother, Frank, was written in iambic tetrameter, mimicking the poet Sir Walter Scott. A letter that Austen wrote to her niece, Cassandra, was written entirely backwards. Austen wrote letters to wish her family members a happy birthday, a happy new year, or other celebratory events, and she also wrote to inform them of various life updates, including births and deaths in the family. These kinds of letters appear throughout Austen’s novels; in Pride and Prejudice, for example, Mr. Darcy writes letters to his sister, Georgiana, when he is apart from her. This type of kinkeeping, Hinckley said, helps strengthen family connection and continuity.
Another element of kinkeeping is gift giving. Hinckley recounted examples of gifts being given within the Austen family—Jane’s brother, for example, “purchased topaz crosses and gold chains for his sisters out of prize money that he won from being a sailor.” This gift was reflected in Mansfield Park, when Fanny Price’s sailor brother buys her an amber cross. Hinckley explained that Austen’s kinkeeping also extended to her friends, expanding her community to include more than just her family. Austen sent gifts to her friends, such as the rare presentation copy of Emma that she gave her friend Anne Sharp or the handkerchiefs she sent to her friend Catherine Bigg as a wedding gift.
Austen’s kinkeeping, Hinckley said, “reveals a heart very devoted to the amusement or comfort of her family and friends.” Her example reminds readers even now of the importance of reaching out to friends and family to solidify bonds and strengthen ties. This “invisible labor,” said Hinckley, is rewarded through “strengthened family relationships and unexpected moments of joy.”
The written word fosters community, whether through YA books that encourage empathy or hand-written notes to a loved one or friend. As Coombs said, a good book prompts the reader to consider their community and ask, “What are we doing here together? What’s our obligation to each other?” Austen’s writings and the best of YA literature answer that everyone is part of a community, and that community can always become stronger through connection.
Learn more about the Education Weeks lectures sponsored by the College of Humanities on the College of Humanities Education Week page.