Gary Paulsen

1299 Words3 Pages

Gary Paulsen is most famously known for his young adult adventure novels. Throughout Paulsen’s childhood he was bounced around between family member’s households. As a child he was neglected by alcoholic parents. He coped by fishing and playing with his childhood friend, a dog. Paulsen lived in the Philippines while his father served for his country, this gave him the experience and the imagination it took to write young adult novels that appealed to his adolescent audience. Being an adventurous adolescent himself, he embellishes on his imagination and creates a plot that is both vividly detailed and unheard of. Gary Paulsen flawlessly incorporates the topics of survival tactics, man versus nature, family imperfections and self alterations in his writing, while using vivid descriptions of the character’s situation, which holds the young adult’s attention and allows them to experience the conflict along with the character. Gary Paulsen uses his adventurous personality and embellishes on it to create a setting that his audience can fall in love with. Edith Fine supports his style of writing in Gary paulsen: Author and Wilderness Adventurer by stating, “Gary draws deeply on his own experiences, layering them with intriguing plots. He becomes his characters, knows their feelings and secrets, senses their problems. With enticing simplicity and rhythm, Paulsen’s words reach out from the page like a hand to grab readers and pull them into his tales” (10). His audiences sense his authentic style of writing. His desire for writing developed in his 20’s, however, his inspiration came from his childhood. Paulsen writes with a purpose to entertain young adults while informing them about nature, survival and historical events at the same... ... middle of paper ... ...his he gains the respect and attention of his audience. Paulsen has flawlessly conquered the connection between reality and fictional writing, his young adult adventurous audience demand an amusing plot that holds their attention, sparks their imagination and teaches a lifelong lesson. Works Cited Clapsaddle, Diane. "TheBestNotes on Hatchet". TheBestNotes.com. 4 March 2014. 11 May 2008 Fine, Edith Hope. Gary Paulsen: Author and Wilderness Adventurer. Berkley Heights: NJ: Enslow Publisher, Inc., 2000. Print Paulsen, Gary. Hatchet. New York: Scholastic, 1987. Print. Sommers, Joseph Michael. "Gary Paulsen." Magill’S Survey Of American Literature, Revised Edition (2006): 1-5. Literary Reference Center. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. Stowell, Theresa L. "Gary Paulsen." Critical Survey Of Long Fiction, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-3. Literary Reference Center. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.

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