An enduring story

FOR Michael Crichton to assert that the post-Freudian world will see an end of coming-of-age novels seems premature (“Tall tech tales,” by Bettijane Levine, Nov. 29). Certainly, novels reflect the context of the times they are written in, but the coming-of-age conflict is as old as literature itself. A third of “The Odyssey” explores the maturity of Odysseus’ son, Telemachus. The story of Moses is one of a young hothead maturing to return and free his people, as Robert Alter points out in his “The Art of Biblical Narrative.” And so on.

Although these examples are not novels, as literary forms changed, the story has remained much the same. Perhaps our new youths finding adulthood will undergo different types of feats -- but based on Harry Potter’s latest exploits, perhaps not.

As long as young men and women continue maturing, coming-of-age stories will continue to resonate. Crichton might try his hand at a tale of endless childhood and defend his thesis -- theoretically, a tale more terrifying than carnivorous dinosaurs and evil nanoparticles.

Paula Carbone

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