Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Dissecting Genre: Dystopian Edition


This segment we're discussing genres and why we love the ones we do. And my post probably won't be quite as elegantly said as Danielle's. I'll probably just ramble about my love for dystopian stories, so forgive me for that!

All in all, I love just about any out there in the YA world. If it's well written, has engaging characters that I care about, and a great plot then it doesn't really matter what genre, to be honest.

But there are some stories that I have a soft spot for. Give me Greek mythology or mermaids or a falsely perfect world/completely ruined world and I'll probably like it. A lot.

And that's why I read and love dystopian. I know it's a trend that's fading out, but I'm not sure I'll ever tire of it. One of the main staples in dystopian is the world/society being broken in some way. Usually there's either an imperfect world that tries to hide the flaws or it's an openly broken world.

I love the societies that are set up as being supremely perfect when really they're a mess. A terrible ruined mess. I like seeing the characters either struggle to learn the truth or watch them figure out how to deal with already seeing behind the curtain of lies.

Or the other way around, where the world is already destroyed and there's no hiding that. I love how those characters have to learn to survive this damaged world where the rules of society no longer exist.

In either scenario, there's this huge obstacle that's not always tangible that they have to overcome. Sometimes it's a controlling government or a fracture lawless society, or something else, but these things put a lot of pressure on the character to measure up to that obstacle. And that's why I think I'll always be a fan of a good dystopian book. You might start out with a weak character, but in the end they usually come out strong. The characters change where their society can't. They grow, evolve, and define themselves in a new way despite the stagnant and destroyed worlds they live in.

And not only that, they change--for good or bad--the world they are in. Like a ripple effect. Sometimes it's just the characters around them and sometimes it is the whole world they live in that they alter. It's the characters and how they change themselves and their world by overcoming these huge obstacles that I love reading about in dystopian stories.

So, if you also like dystopian stories, what is it that you love? What makes you come back again and again to them? I only touched on a few aspects of this genre. I know there's a lot more that could be said about it, but I didn't want to ramble too much! So if you have another reason, shout it out!

And if you don't like them, why not? I'd love to hear your thoughts too!

Also, a little side note: I grew up on sci-fi and while dystopian isn't usually considered quite that (I like to think of them as siblings), it still has that futuristic feel to me that I like about sci-fi, so one more little reason for me to love it. :)

And also! Some recommendations! Can't forget those!

Christina's: Matched by Ally Condie
Lindsay's: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Danielle's: The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
Cindy's: Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin
Patricia: Follow Me Through Darkness (the MS of our very own Danielle! Sorry guys, you'll have to wait for this awesomeness!)



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