My thesis deals with the dystopian themes featured in the young adult novels Gathering Blue and The Hunger Games Trilogy. I begin by outlining the traits of dystopia's predecessor, utopia, and continue with the analysis of the genres that developed from utopia and took a dark turn. What follows is a presentation of some of dystopia's most prominent writers and their works. I also present dystopia's frequent brushes with science fiction and continue with the definitions of young adult literature and dystopia's development and role in young adult or children's literature. Additionally, I examine themes such as Christianity and technological progress, which often go hand-in-hand with the dystopian genre. Since the novels I analyze feature women protagonists, I also incorporate a presentation of feminist literature. In the empirical part of my thesis I focus on analyzing the dystopian elements and themes in the novel Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry and in the trilogy The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. My main goal is to analyze and compare both texts and to discern which dystopian themes the novels have in common, in which dystopian themes they differ, and how the utilization of these themes influences both female protagonists. I answer the question whether these dystopian young adult novels feature the message of hope, which is predominantly present in dystopian texts.
|
