Teenage Wastelands: A Guide to Dystopian Young Adult Fiction

Fiction geared toward young adults has been thriving over the past several decades. And while young adult (YA) fiction contains many genres and subgenres, dystopian fiction has become one of its definitive storytelling modes, producing not just best-selling books but also expanding into film, television, and more. What is it about dystopia that makes it so beloved by readers? Why has this dark and often cynical take on the future become a literary and publishing juggernaut? And what makes younger readers so particularly enamored of it?

In the six lectures of Teenage Wastelands: A Guide to Dystopian Young Adult Fiction, award-winning YA author Sherri L. Smith will show you why dystopian stories have become so successful and why they continue to inspire. As you trace the history of dystopian stories and dive into some of YA’s most influential tales of the future, you’ll see why these often dark and challenging works have such a hold on the imagination. From The Giver to The Hunger Games to Orleans, dystopian tales allow us to grapple with hard questions and consider how we want to live—both now and in the future.

While adult dystopian stories are often pessimistic, YA fiction offers something a little different: hope. Speculative fiction—of which dystopia is just one of many subgenres—allows readers to explore all sorts of “what if?” questions. For younger readers, there is perhaps no greater “what if” than the future itself and its many possibilities. While new genres and stories are always on the rise, competing with dystopia’s hold on the young adult imagination, you’ll find that the complex mixture of darkness and optimism that defines these tales continues to thrive as we seek answers to life’s great “what ifs.”

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Really interesting!

Worth a read—and it’s free. Some great info and audio narration by the author.

A Guide, not a Course

This is a rather superficial, though occasionally interesting, discussion of its topic. I expect a more academic treatment from the Great Courses.

A Pleasant and Helpful Overview

I liked the author's enthusiasm and knowledge. She made me as an older adult want to engage with some of these books and gave me insights into the thinking of younger people who could be my grandchildren.

Many ideas what to read next

Very cool analysis. I was constantly writing down book titles of what to read next.

A Great Great Courses

You may not have noticed it, but dystopian literature directed at young people is all the rage these days. You seem to bump into another one every time you turn around. But these are not your father's dystopias and Sherri L. Smith explains why.

Adult dystopias are very dark and usually end in defeat for the protagonists. Think 1984 where our hero learns to love Big Brother. But for youths, dystopian literature often ends with hope, making it a more satisfying reading experience. Smith also convincingly argues that the other elements of dystopia all correspond to a teenager's desire to exercise some basic freedom. So, there are always significant societal controls and at least one rebellious person trying at first to make sense of it all and finally to bring the rules crashing down.

This was a very fun set of lectures which I thoroughly enjoyed.