Dystopian love : a look at romance in young adult dystopian novels

Abstract

Research in young adult literature lacks a specific focus on romance within the increasingly popular genre of young adult dystopian novels. This paper provides an analysis of four popular young adult dystopian series, each of which have a significant focus on romance, to examine the trends and relationship between problems in dystopian societies and the romantic relationships developing within them. The following series (each containing three books) are discussed: The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld, the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, the Delirium Series by Lauren Oliver, the Matched Series by Ally Condie.