Question

the main, or central, idea of the passage is in contrast to most previous novels written for teenagers, hintons the outsiders deliberately dealt with difficult issues. how does the detail in bold develop the main idea? s. e. hintons novel the outsiders, published in 1967, differed radically from earlier teen novels. most novels for teens projected a clean - cut, problem - free version of youth, with romantic love and sports as common topics. in contrast, the outsiders dived into a much grittier reality, exploring complex and often disturbing issues, such as isolation, violence, and economic inequality. the outsiders was itself authored by a teenager; hinton was seventeen at publication. her frustration with the existing literature was her impetus for writing the book. “there was only a handful of books having teenage protagonists: mary jane wants to go to the prom with the football hero and ends up with the boy next door and has a good time anyway,” she told the new yorker magazine in 2014. “i couldnt see anything going on in those books that had anything to do with real life.” it describes the themes s.e. hinton explored in the outsiders. it explains why 1960s novels primarily dealt with lighthearted topics. it sets up the contrast between earlier teen novels and the outsiders.

Explanation:

The bold - faced detail first describes the typical content of earlier teen novels. This sets up a contrast with Hinton's The Outsiders, which deals with more difficult issues. It emphasizes the difference between the two types of novels.

Answer:

It sets up the contrast between earlier teen novels and The Outsiders.