"Dystopian Thrillers: The Rare Hollywood Genre Where..." Topic
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Tango01 | 12 Mar 2014 12:10 p.m. PST |
Women Rule. "It's been nearly 30 years since Margaret Atwood published The Handmaid's Tale in 1985. Portraying a future U.S. in which a religious military coup has obliterated women's rights and relegated many to the role of domestic sex slaves, the groundbreaking novel invited the waves of opposition that meet so much great political literature, from conservative outcry to banning in schools, to the point where the American Library Association named it the 37th most frequently challenged book of the 1990s. To hear detractors tell it, The Handmaid's Tale—with its depictions of sex and violence as well as its larger commentary about power hierarchies and the value they place on women—tells a story that is completely inappropriate for young people. And then The Hunger Games happened. In a post-Harry Potter world where YA fiction is mega-franchise fodder, feminist sci-fi authors descended from the Atwood school—albeit with decidedly less sexual themes—have produced some of the most popular books of the past decade, nearly all primarily geared toward young adult readers. Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy—the harbinger of the dystopian YA craze—has put approximately 65 million copies into circulation in the U.S. alone; the first two movie adaptations have already grossed more than $800 USD million together domestically (and the third book, Mockingjay, will be adapted into two films over the next few years, making the franchise a multibillion-dollar machine). There's Lauren Oliver's Delirium trilogy, and Marie Lu's Legend, and of course, Veronica Roth's Divergent. The latter, which stars a teenage girl born immune to her society's people-classification system and fated to clash with its leaders, has put 13 million copies in circulation since April 2011 and will see its first film adaptation open in American theaters March 21. The trend is well-documented, but one of the biggest questions it poses is rarely, if ever, asked: how did dystopia, a genre long hallmarked by largely adult (and often male) themes and characters, become so dominated by the young and female?
" Full article here. link What about Divergent? Amicalement Armand |
Coyotepunc and Hatshepsuut | 12 Mar 2014 12:21 p.m. PST |
In other words, Divergent and its peers are being judged by a dystopian standard that hasn't really evolved to meet an era in which dystopia is all around us. These books succeed largely because, unlike the traditional understanding of the genre (though, as Levithan and other publishers note, "dystopian" isn't really a genre, and only exists to identify the recent trend; "speculative fiction" is the larger sci-fi genre to which these books might have otherwise belonged), they offer hope to the young living in our real-life dystopia, where there's rarely optimism to be found. I have two daughters (11 and 13) following this trend of dystopian novels. The quote above i think really hits it on the head
they have both asked me separately, at different times, why we don't have the rights enumerated in the U.S. Constitution and its amendments. While that topis is certainly Blue Fez material, it is important to note that kids aren't stupid, they see what is going on around them, and they need something that speaks to them about the differences between how things should be and how things are. |
Crucible Orc | 12 Mar 2014 3:39 p.m. PST |
i think the rise in female protagonists has largely to do with the mainstream-isation of powerful female leads in movies and TV. it's a lot more accepted now then even 20 years ago, and it makes sense that female authors would write more often about female leads. and I also identify with the idea of the modern day distopia. having been back to school 3 times because I could not find steady work. I'm currently in danger of not being able to graduate from my current program because I cannot find an Electrical engineering co-op here in Canada. and me being hired comes with a government tax credit too. only thing that has kept me sane all these years is channeling frustration into painting miniatures and building terrain. unfortunately not everyone can pull that off. |
Parzival | 12 Mar 2014 7:19 p.m. PST |
I generally dislike dystopian fiction, as it usually it's intended as a vehicle by which the author can hit the reader on the head with a blatantly obvious (and typically over done) political or social issue. It also tends to exaggerate that issue to absurd proportions, in particular in the nature of the characters and institutions within the dystopia that represent whomever the author blames (or despises) for the issue in question. This is done, of course, to make the "evil" side (both real and imagined) easier to demonize, and thus criticize without regard to either facts or logic. Of course, not all dystopia is this way, but so much of it is that I have little taste for it. |
Dan 055 | 12 Mar 2014 9:32 p.m. PST |
Parzival, I like how you phrase it. |
Happy Little Trees | 12 Mar 2014 9:49 p.m. PST |
I think it is more a matter of the heroine being a "magical snowflake" that doesn't fit into societal norms. Something young women feel whether or not it is true in there particular. And it is easier to show the heroine not fitting-in in a simplified society. A dystopian future is the easiest way to depict this simplified society because it has little or no "baggage". The present, and past, have tons of baggage that define it. (The US Constitution is one example. 225 years later we are still arguing about what a number of parts of it mean. Baggage.) You don't have that in the manufactured societies of this fiction because the slate was wiped clean to create the society. |
Tango01 | 13 Mar 2014 10:43 a.m. PST |
Agree about Parzival words. You are one of the fellow members I more enjoyed to read all over the forum Parzival!. (smile). Amicalement Armand |
Gearhead | 14 Mar 2014 4:51 p.m. PST |
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