Religion and sex are often uncomfortable topics to discuss at the best of times and the same is true for literature. However, the truth is that teenagers’ opinions on these subjects are as varied as our personality types, skin colors, and skill sets. I firmly believe that authors should write the stories they want to tell and create characters that speak to them and not the demands of readers, but I often find that young adult fiction can be quite one-note in regard to its portrayal of teenage opinions, specifically on the topics of religion and sex.
That being said, I would like to be completely clear that I am talking only about my own opinions and experiences. Every person is different and I cannot speak for my generation as a whole, nor do I want to judge or condemn others for their beliefs or actions. This post is simply discussing some trends that I have noticed in YA literature when looking through the lens of my own beliefs and values.
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A Study in Strange: "The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett" vs "Seraphina and the Black Cloak"3/11/2017 WARNING: Major spoilers for both books mentioned in the title
WARNING: There are some minor spoilers below for some of the novels mentioned
In companion with my previous post on this page, this is a list of some of my favorite female characters in books. Whether they’re characters that I relate to, am inspired by, or just simply love to read about, these literary girls have stuck out in my mind throughout all the years that I have been reading. As with the boys, this list is in no particular order, includes only fictional people, and is representative of my feelings at this time. I’m sure that there are plenty of books I will read in the future that have characters that could be considered for this list. As always, the pictures can be clicked to redirect to the websites where they were found. And with all that being said, here are my favorite female literary characters: WARNING: There are some minor spoilers below for some of the novels mentioned
The characters on this list are ones that I've always felt drawn to. Some of them I've had book-crushes on (we all know how that goes), some of them are characters that intrigue and interest me, and some of them are so memorable that they have stuck with me over time. There are certainly a multitude of other characters that could go on this list (particularly as I'm only including strictly fictional characters and not real people who appear in books), and I'm certain that many other characters will be considered fit for it in the future. This list is in no particular order, and as always you can click on the pictures to access the websites where I found them. Without further ado, please enjoy this list of my favorite male characters (at this point in time, anyway) from literature: When people think of dystopian literature, they think of classic novels written in the 1900s and studied in college lecture halls, with George Orwell's 1984 and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World being quintessential examples. However, the dystopia genre of speculative fiction is seeing a huge resurgence in young adult literature. I'm sure I don't have to list all the YA dystopia novels for you to know which ones I'm talking about. There are a ton of great options to choose from, although The Hunger Games and Divergent are currently the most widely known. There seem to be elements of dystopian fiction that are fairly universal and that appear in both classic and YA dystopias. This includes all-powerful governments or individuals (the Capital and President Snow in The Hunger Games, Mustapha Mond and the World State in Brave New World, Jeanine in Divergent), ways of controlling people (the Divergent serum, the actual Hunger Games tournament in The Hunger Games, conditioning in Brave New World, the Thought Police in 1984), and other common components, such as disparities or inequalities among classes, government propaganda, suppression of individuality, etc. That being said, there are several elements of classic dystopias that are slightly different among the more modern YA dystopian novels. So what are the characteristics of modern dystopian literature? The Hunger Games. Divergent. The Darkest Minds. Ruby Red. Shiver. The Maze Runner. Legend. Shatter Me. Daughter of Smoke and Bone. If you spend any time reading young adult books, you might notice that there are a lot of trilogies. Seriously, they're everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I still love most of these books, but in some cases it does feel like authors are just trying to capitalize on the popularity of trilogies like The Hunger Games and Divergent. There's something very appealing about standalone novels, where you know that you'll be reading one story with a problem and resolution tied up with a neat little bow. And while I love reading more about my favorite fictional characters and worlds, sometimes it's nice when stories have a concrete, definite ending and you don't have to worry about when the next book is coming out and how you're going to get your hands on it. I get the impression that some authors feel the need to hop on the trilogy bandwagon when it really isn't necessary. So what makes a trilogy "good?" A good trilogy has three separate installments, each with their own conflicts and resolutions, that all fit into one overarching plot line. Ideally, you would be able to read any one book in a trilogy and still have a complete story with an introduction, climax, and resolution (you'd want to read the rest of the trilogy if it was a good one, but you wouldn't need to in order to see the immediate outcome of the plot line specific to that novel). Hello book lovers!
I've been wanting to try a book review blog for a while now, and although I know next to nothing about technology, I'm giving it a shot! I'll probably review mostly Young Adult fiction because that's primarily what I read. I'm also into theatre, so I may discuss movies or plays based on books. I can't say how often I'll post; school gets in the way and I don't have a lot of time. Hopefully I'm not too much of an amateur! Have fun! |
A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. A man who never reads lives only one." AuthorI'm a freshman in college who really loves to read! Archives
August 2017
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