While I was browsing Twitter, I came across this interesting article/debate about the ever-growing dystopian trend in YA literature and it caught my attention for several reasons. First, I have a soft spot for YA. Second, I love dystopian novels. My current read is Mockingjay which very successfully combines these two. I absolutely adore the trilogy. Second, some of the contributors are well-known YA authors, such as Scott Westerfeld and Maggie Stiefvater, and university professors of literature.
Some of the opinions expressed are that teens read dystopian novels purely for the escapism it provides, without any relation to the condition the world is in today; some contributors to the debate say that kids and teens today are perfectly aware of where the world is heading to and how it really functions and that they don't want to be lied to any more.
What do you think?
Not just about this particular trend in literature for young readers, but about dystopian novels in general? Why is, for example, 1984 so attractive today as it has been for the past 60 years? Is there something familiar about the topics such as living under constant supervision, being pawns of a system (that individuals are constantly trying to beat), the highly competitive society and being forced to think within the limits of the box imposed on you, that continuously draws us to read about the worst-case scenarios we might face?
I'd like to hear your thoughts!
I'd like to hear your thoughts!
