"Making Cities and Then Making Them Crumble:" Francesca Lia Block's Place in the Young Adult Novel

Although Francesca Lia Block has won over twenty awards for her young adult (YA) novels, not enough scholarship has been devoted to Block's work, possibly because of its self-claim to postmodernism and flares of the fantastical or magical. As J. Sydney Jones reports, Block began writing to make sense of her surroundings and continues writing for the same end (18). Block's novels are her vision of "postmodern fairy tales," and she uses magical realism to blend in the often-dark reality of her stories and culture. Examining two of Block's novels-Weetzie Bat (WB) and I Was a Teenage Fairy (IWTF)-reveals that place is resonant in her work. Block's place, however, is not traditional.

In modern literature, setting (or place) furthers the author's description of the novel's sociohistorical elements. Even if an author does not explain, for example, the Depression thoroughly, readers can conjure up images of America during the 1930s, relying solely on their knowledge of the period. "The only fitting conclusion to a study of city in modern novels," Dianna FestMcCormick offers, "is, possibly, that there is none available" (193; emphasis added). Yet, in a very basic sense, there is a conclusion. Eventually, talk of place falls away in the analysis of the modern novel because place, like other aspects of the novel, remains stable and oftentimes becomes the grounding force of a novel. In Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, for instance, the single thread through the novel is the city in which the story takes place.

Postmodern literature, however, remains stable only limitedly, if at all, and as Block herself says, her novels are postmodern fairy tales. In Block's postmodern stories, fairy tales begin where most traditional fairy tales end (happily ever after), the worst monsters and witches are given human traits, magic is not omnipotent, and questions at the end are not representative of true good or true evil. Perhaps more importantly, Block's mixture of right and wrong does not send a moral message but rather shows multiple perspectives of the same situation-alcohol, sex, conflict, neglect, and abuse-often leaving the reader to make his/her own conclusions about the outcomes. Within this context of postmodernity, one can begin to analyze the multiple ways in which place becomes central to studying Block's novels.

Using essays from the field of human geography and writers dealing with place, we will argue that Block molds Los Angeles and its culture in the same way she would mold a character. This molding becomes increasingly important when examining the magical realism with which she imbues her novels, making a city to which everyone theoretically has access, a unique place people can visit only through her novels.

To say that Block has merely created a place is too simple, when, in fact, she is rewriting her home through these novels, that home being Los Angeles. This essay explores this rewriting through the lens of the feminist criticism of Julia Kristeva and Hélène Cixous, both of whom purport that woman's place is a fluid and ever-changing environment, just as Block suggests with/in her writing. Additionally, this essay places Block's readers in a context of tourism because everyone who delves into Block's world is a tourist. Thus, we hope to provide a map and itinerary into Block's world. By examining these layers separately, one can ultimately see how the layers fit together to explain the themes to which Block points her readers.

Juxtaposing two of Block's books enables readers to experience fully the place that she has created for her readers. The place Block constructs is not only physical but also a series of situations involving the same (or same types of) scenarios. Both novels take place in L.A., and while WB does not take place during a specified era, IWTF is clearly set in the early to mid-1990s, as it makes frequent reference to current events, such as Kurt Cobain's suicide and Jon-Bennet Ramsey's murder. In both books, Block adopts a new language readers must translate. In WB, for instance, boyfriends are called "Ducks," cool is "slinkster," and surprise is expressed by saying "lanky lizards." Likewise, in /VVTF, boyfriends are "biscuits," and monsters and other evil forces are "vile, vile crocodiles."

Within the basic plot lines are situations involving young adults' actions and reactions toward alcohol and drug abuse, sex, infidelity, and grief. None of these situations provides clear-cut answers or suggestions about what is "right" or "wrong." Rather, Block allows for interpretation(s), which ultimately makes her books a sort of "Choose Your Own Adventure." Such an approach appeals to young adults because they are attempting to make decisions about these same issues. Her target audience also represents individuals who are deciding what to do with their lives (e.g., attending college, getting a job, moving away from home, trying to find a place or home, etc.). These themes permeate all of Block's minimalist imagery, which Patricia Campbell suggests took seed in poetry workshops (56). Both WB and IWTF can serve as initiation into Block's world of multiplicities, giving readers a clear sense of her language, images, and-most importantly-her place(s).