Since the 1980s the world has seen many major social, political, and technological changes. There has been the explosion of social media and reality television, the evolution of smartphones — leading to an increased access to information and entertainment — and a new wind in feminist movements. Politically in the U.S alone there has been the aftermath of 9/11 and the Iraq and Afghanistan military operations. There has also been increased agitation concerning racial equality and gun control. These changes have an effect on every aspect of life including the literature being written. Dystopian literature has seen drastic changes since the 1980s, the main change being the shift in target audience. Dystopias have been increasingly written for
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Dystopias first appeared in popular Young Adult literature in 1989 when the graphic novel series V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd was published. This series depicts a totalitarian England with a vigilantly hero who stands up to the government and inspires a rebellion. The first popular young adult dystopian novel was The Giver by Lois Lowry published in 1993. This book is meant for the younger ages in the young adult range, primarily middle school age children. It deals with the issues of memories and dealing with our past, pain, and learning hard truths. It is a coming of age book, meaning we watch Jonas, the protagonist, come to age in his society and get placed in a job and begin to grow up. He is young reflecting the pressure felt by many young people to know a career path at an early age. He deals with learning that adults can lie, the truth about his government, and the fact that to have real joy you must experience pain. These hard truths reflect the time of life the target reader is in. The book is not meant to focus on the government. Lowry is quoted by Neda Ulaby to have …show more content…
The government is a totalitarian government that restricts people’s freedom of will, much like the government in The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margret Atwood published in 1985, an adult dystopian novel published in 1985. The government system is very similar in many dystopias, a totalitarian government that restricts its people, saying it is for their own good. The ways in which the people are suppressed differs from book to book reflecting the time it was written in. This has not changed with the trend into Young Adult fiction, the focus however has. The focus of adult dystopias is primarily the governments, where as in today’s young adult fictions the focus is the characters. The author focuses more on the protagonist’s feelings and relationships. Letting the government act as background, setting, and reasoning for the dire situation the character is in. In this situation the dystopia is more a plot tool than a major feature. In Delirium, by Lauren Oliver published in 2011, the government uses a required procedure that makes it impossible to love, as a way to control their people. In this novel the romantic relationship between the protagonist and her love interest are more important than the government, which simply acts as a source of conflict when the reader is invested in the love story. Comparing this to The
Dystopias first appeared in popular Young Adult literature in 1989 when the graphic novel series V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd was published. This series depicts a totalitarian England with a vigilantly hero who stands up to the government and inspires a rebellion. The first popular young adult dystopian novel was The Giver by Lois Lowry published in 1993. This book is meant for the younger ages in the young adult range, primarily middle school age children. It deals with the issues of memories and dealing with our past, pain, and learning hard truths. It is a coming of age book, meaning we watch Jonas, the protagonist, come to age in his society and get placed in a job and begin to grow up. He is young reflecting the pressure felt by many young people to know a career path at an early age. He deals with learning that adults can lie, the truth about his government, and the fact that to have real joy you must experience pain. These hard truths reflect the time of life the target reader is in. The book is not meant to focus on the government. Lowry is quoted by Neda Ulaby to have …show more content…
The government is a totalitarian government that restricts people’s freedom of will, much like the government in The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margret Atwood published in 1985, an adult dystopian novel published in 1985. The government system is very similar in many dystopias, a totalitarian government that restricts its people, saying it is for their own good. The ways in which the people are suppressed differs from book to book reflecting the time it was written in. This has not changed with the trend into Young Adult fiction, the focus however has. The focus of adult dystopias is primarily the governments, where as in today’s young adult fictions the focus is the characters. The author focuses more on the protagonist’s feelings and relationships. Letting the government act as background, setting, and reasoning for the dire situation the character is in. In this situation the dystopia is more a plot tool than a major feature. In Delirium, by Lauren Oliver published in 2011, the government uses a required procedure that makes it impossible to love, as a way to control their people. In this novel the romantic relationship between the protagonist and her love interest are more important than the government, which simply acts as a source of conflict when the reader is invested in the love story. Comparing this to The