Ryan Mark's Blog - Posts Tagged "change"
The YA Dystopian Genre and Global Issues
There are hundreds of global issues facing the world at present. What better way to draw attention to them than the YA Dystopian genre? An exciting story is a great way to introduce readers to important themes and capture their attention in an engaging way.
The stories that come under this umbrella mostly depict a violent future for the world (The Road), some having society controlled by a totalitarian regime (The Hunger Games, Divergent), which was brought about by the current behaviours of society remaining unchanged, for example, continually draining the Earth’s natural resources, or, continued contribution to global warming, to name a few. The stories may be set in the future, but the reasons leading to that future are very close to home, and so, this genre is one way in which a concerned author can put forward world changing issues to a teenage reader while keeping them entertained and captivated at the same time.
A variety of issues and subjects can be covered in a book that falls into the YA Dystopian genre, from war, death, oppression, despair and environmental catastrophe, and if introduced into a plot that can hold the reader’s attention for a long period, these issues can be subtly placed into their minds without being too intrusive in the way in which they are described and put forward.
This genre gives readers the chance to read about such issues, without having to live through the hardships of what might be happening in that particular future. It gives the reader an experience and lets them imagine what such a world would be like, and maybe might make them think twice about leaving their mobile phone on charge all night…
The YA Dystopian genre can also be used to introduce global issues to a younger reader with limited global knowledge, without having to over complicate the description with too many scientific terms and explanations, which is great when trying to make them aware of the troubles that are currently ricocheting through our society.
The stories that come under this umbrella mostly depict a violent future for the world (The Road), some having society controlled by a totalitarian regime (The Hunger Games, Divergent), which was brought about by the current behaviours of society remaining unchanged, for example, continually draining the Earth’s natural resources, or, continued contribution to global warming, to name a few. The stories may be set in the future, but the reasons leading to that future are very close to home, and so, this genre is one way in which a concerned author can put forward world changing issues to a teenage reader while keeping them entertained and captivated at the same time.
A variety of issues and subjects can be covered in a book that falls into the YA Dystopian genre, from war, death, oppression, despair and environmental catastrophe, and if introduced into a plot that can hold the reader’s attention for a long period, these issues can be subtly placed into their minds without being too intrusive in the way in which they are described and put forward.
This genre gives readers the chance to read about such issues, without having to live through the hardships of what might be happening in that particular future. It gives the reader an experience and lets them imagine what such a world would be like, and maybe might make them think twice about leaving their mobile phone on charge all night…
The YA Dystopian genre can also be used to introduce global issues to a younger reader with limited global knowledge, without having to over complicate the description with too many scientific terms and explanations, which is great when trying to make them aware of the troubles that are currently ricocheting through our society.
