Sana Abid Rana, Waffa Shahzad, Tabassum Maqbool
Page: 1-18
Volume: 2, Issue: 2
Published at: 14 Aug 2025
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This study explores the construction of teenage identity and romantic idealism in Lynn Painter’s Better Than Before and Better Than the Prom through a narratological and stylistic lens. Drawing on Claude Bremond’s theory of narrative logic, the paper examines how decision points, emotional choices, and unrealized possibilities shape adolescent subjectivity and interpersonal relationships. The analysis focuses on the interplay between romantic aspiration, self-formation, friendship, and digital communication within contemporary young adult (YA) fiction. Painter’s narratives are examined as cultural texts that reflect Gen-Z emotional realities, including social media influence, mental health awareness, and evolving gender roles. By integrating stylistic analysis with narrative theory, the study demonstrates how Painter constructs emotionally resonant storytelling through dialogue, humor, fragmentation, and digitally inflected discourse. The findings suggest that YA romantic fiction functions not merely as entertainment but as a significant cultural site where identity negotiation, emotional literacy, and relational ethics are articulated. The study contributes to contemporary scholarship on YA literature by foregrounding the narrative mechanics through which popular fiction mediates adolescent experience in the digital age.