I first came across the term ‘dystopia’ when I was in a book shop and picked up The Maze Runner by James Dashner and started reading the back cover. Behind me, a lady says, 'ohh you like Dystopian Literature?' I was quite taken aback and felt myself going pink with embarrassment … sorry? I don’t know that that is? What is Dystopia? The lady went on to explain that her guilty pleasure in life is reading Dystopian Literature – which ultimately means that the books are set in a futuristic, imagined universe where the society is run by bureaucratic or totalitarian control and there is the illusion to the leaders that it is perfect. The characters are usually being watched all the time and they have a fear of the outside world. She was exactly right, because when I went home and watched the movie Maze Runner: Scorch Trials, her explanation was spot on. Curwood and Fink (2012) support this explanation by further stating that dystopian fiction offers a reality far removed from ours which is why we find it so fascinating. Dystopian Literature offers us an escape from our own world and lets us explore dark and confronting themes that, especially for teenagers can be frighteningly familiar. For example, fighting for love, jealousy, liking two boys or girls at the same time, controlling households, strict rules, friendship issues and family problems. Astor (2012) reiterates that whilst dystopian novels can be depressing, there is a certain ‘rightness’ about them because we know that politicians, military people and corporate moguls are capable of doing awful things – meaning dystopian novels feel ‘kind of honest’. I have to admit (though I don’t tell many people), I loved the Twilight series and I often watch TV shows like Vampire Diaries and I currently read the True Blood series. Even though the characters are werewolves and vampires, you can still connect with their lives and there is always a dramatic aura surrounding each chapter and episode. Whilst reading the books, you just want to know what happens next… Does Bella turn into a Vampire? Will she tell her father? No matter what age you are, there is always reason to take time out and explore the world of others. We admire the best dystopian novels because they are written well and depict people we can relate to. As mortal humans, we are fascinated with other alternate worlds of misery, death, war, despair, oppression and environmental ruin. It gives youths a chance to escape their own worlds of essay writing, school restrictions and family quarrels and allows them to dive into an alternate universe.... even if it is just for a moment. Many of the readers are similar ages to the protagonists of the story, which makes it easy to connect with the characters (Stevens, 2014). For example, Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games is a teenager who is grappling with her identity and makes comments like ‘I learned to hold my tongue and to turn my features into an indifferent mask so that no one could ever read my thoughts” (Collins, 2008, p. 6). As educators, we need to embrace these texts and join the fascinating worlds of dystopian texts. We need to know what our students are reading and be able to connect with them and discuss the themes and happenings of the book. Although they may not be the best ‘written’ books, youths do enjoy them, which is why we need to utilise and incorporate them into the classroom – Lets embrace them!! Dystopian Literature, Fantasy or Sci-Fi literature and movies may not be your thing, but who can deny that Twilight, Hunger Games, Divergent Series and Harry Potter have not taken the world by storm?
You are a little bit intrigued.... Just admit it References Astor, D. (2014). Why do we like Dystopian Novels? Collins, S. (2008). The Hunger Games. USA: Scholastic Corporation Curwood, J., & Fink, L. (2013). The Hunger Games: Literature, Literacy, and Online Affinity Spaces. Language Arts, 9(9), 417-427. Stevens, D. (2014). Why Teens Love Dystopias - Brutal, Highly factionalized worlds governed by remote authoritarian entities? Thats basically High School
0 Comments
|
Miss Megan Elizabeth Australian living in Johannesburg, Primary School Teacher, IT Teacher, World traveller Header Image Used with permission from: Flickr. Creative Commons Quick Links Home About Me Blog Roll Digital Curation Feedback Reflection Blogs Dystopian Literature Banning Books Pokemon iPads Shakespeare Minecraft |