It is no secret that dystopian literature has risen in popularity in the past decade among young adults. A dystopian novel often has a society that is horrible, awful, oppressed or in a state of terror that is headed towards an imminent downfall. Melissa Ames article Engaging "Apolitical" Adolescents: Analyzing the Popularity and Educational Potential of Dystopian Literature Post-9/11, discusses the connection of the post 9/11 tragedy and the increasing popularity of young adult dystopian novels. A reoccurring idea throughout Ames article is that “the post 9/11 climate has contributed to the popularity of these YA dystopias as they present fictional fear-based scenarios that align with contemporary cultural concerns.” Ames argument is strong
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Nowadays readers are not satisfied with a purely romance or action novel, there is a desire for literature that provides an all around appeal. For example in modern society female empowerment is a spreading topic, and with a novel like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins the heroine Katniss Everdeen is the epitome of this social movement. Katniss is strong character that leads a revolution, and surprisingly (although it is still present), the love story is not the focus of the …show more content…
There is a strong heroine, action, romance and then the classic dystopian themes of corrupt societies, abuse of power and lack of freedom within the novel. By covering many themes Collin has ensured the popularity of her book. A problem with Ames article is that there is a tunnel vision view in which 9/11 is the main influence of dystopian writing for YA, when this is not the case. The issue of terrorism and homeland security is prevalent in modern society and undoubtedly has an influence on dystopian writing, yet it is not the only influence. For example Anderson’s novel Feed in where many Americans are connected to the internet by a feed into their brain, focuses on themes such as consumerism and the extreme use of technology within society. These two themes are very applicable to modern society, and their prevalence in society has been growing stronger for years. An early example of this is Aldous Huxleys Brave New World, published in 1932, contains the theme of technology within society. If this is so, why is it not as popular among YA as the novel Feed
Nowadays readers are not satisfied with a purely romance or action novel, there is a desire for literature that provides an all around appeal. For example in modern society female empowerment is a spreading topic, and with a novel like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins the heroine Katniss Everdeen is the epitome of this social movement. Katniss is strong character that leads a revolution, and surprisingly (although it is still present), the love story is not the focus of the …show more content…
There is a strong heroine, action, romance and then the classic dystopian themes of corrupt societies, abuse of power and lack of freedom within the novel. By covering many themes Collin has ensured the popularity of her book. A problem with Ames article is that there is a tunnel vision view in which 9/11 is the main influence of dystopian writing for YA, when this is not the case. The issue of terrorism and homeland security is prevalent in modern society and undoubtedly has an influence on dystopian writing, yet it is not the only influence. For example Anderson’s novel Feed in where many Americans are connected to the internet by a feed into their brain, focuses on themes such as consumerism and the extreme use of technology within society. These two themes are very applicable to modern society, and their prevalence in society has been growing stronger for years. An early example of this is Aldous Huxleys Brave New World, published in 1932, contains the theme of technology within society. If this is so, why is it not as popular among YA as the novel Feed