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“May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor” Dystopian Reality in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games Trilogy

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Kula J., Okuń-Jaśkowiak A., Głaz A., Kniaź-Hunek L., Bendrat A., Prażmo E., Terejko P., Szczypa P., Czemiel G., Antoszek E., Galant J., Komsta M., Frelik E., Waszkiewicz A., Oleszczuk A., Waszkiewicz A., Okuń-Jaśkowiak A.

New Horizons in English Studies

2017

issue 2

The research paper focuses on the dystopian reality depicted in Suzanne Collins’s the Hunger Games trilogy. I shall primarily discuss the social and political relations established in the post-apocalyptic country – Panem, and how they affect the quotidian life. Crucial here is the clash between two realms comprising the world represented in the novels – dystopian districts and the seemingly utopian Capitol. The juxtaposition of two completely different ‘constituents’ of the country shapes the mutual relations between the Panem inhabitants – these within the districts, amongst them and between the center and the peripheries. The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009) and Mockingjay (2010) consecutively portray the history of dystopian civilization from the entropic reality succeeding after the Dark Days, through a coincidental chain of events initiated during the 74th Hunger Games, to the ultimate armed conflict bringing hope and the promise of a new beginning. Pivotal in the oppressive world is the concept of the savior in the person of Katniss Everdeen who, initially unconsciously and unintentionally, contributes to igniting the final revolt against the dictatorial regime of President Snow. The aim of the paper is to analyze how the author represents the realm of Panem with regard to the complex relations between the center and the periphery.

The Image of Contemporary Society in Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere

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New Horizons in English Studies

2016

issue 1

Neil Gaiman’s urban fantasy novel Neverwhere revolves around some problematic aspects prevalent in the contemporary world, such as an iniquitous discrepancy between social classes or a problematic attitude to history. The artistic universes created by Gaiman are instrumental in conveying a complex condition of postmodern society. Although one of the represented worlds, London Above, is realistic and the other, London Below, is fantastic, both are suggestive of the contemporary social situation, citizens’ shared values and aspirations. Only when considered together can they reveal a comprehensive image of what the community accepts and what it rejects as no longer consistent with commonly held beliefs. The disparities in the representations of London Above and London Below refer to the division into the present and the past. The realistically portrayed metropolis is the embodiment of contemporary times. The fantastic London Below epitomises all that is ignored or rejected by London Above. The present study is going to discuss the main ideas encoded in the semiotic spaces created by Neil Gaiman, on the basis of postmodern theories. I am going to focus on how the characteristic features of postmodern fiction, such as the use of fantasy and the application of the ontological dominant, by highlighting the boundaries between London Above and London Below affect the general purport of the work.

How Far From a 19th Century Flâneur? A Female Urban Walker in Paul Auster’s In the Country of Last Things Abstract

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New Horizons in English Studies

2018

issue 3

The research paper is going to revolve around Paul Auster’s urban dystopia entitled In the Country of Last Things. Yet, my claim is that the novel may also be categorised as an American city novel in which flâneuristic account plays a significant role. The focal point of the paper is going to be the comparison between Austerian figure of the urban stroller with a traditional one as developed in the 19th century Paris. Although since then there have been numerous transformations and reformulations regarding literary representations of the city walker, I shall examine the protagonist Anna Blume in reference to features characteristic for a traditional 19th century urban stroller. Some theorists claim that women cannot be regarded as city walkers; yet, the aim of the research paper is to prove that Anna, although a female character, can be considered as a postmodern variation of a flâneur. Auster’s fictional world might be compared to Lewis Mumford’s “theater of social action”[1] where the inhabitants’ quotidian drama is staged. This urban theater functions as fertile ground for the city walker’s observations, investigations, as well as subsequent artistic productions. A conventional flâneur is characterised as an aimless stroller for whom the very act of the ‘inspection’ of the crowd is a source of leisure. Yet, his desire is not only to experience the surroundings, but also to observe the physical construction of the city as well as its social dimension – the people around. Taking into consideration the very specificity of the flâneuristic figure, Anna Blume, despite representing the female part of society, can be regarded as a postmodern urban stroller since her only means of discovering and ‘learning’ the space is by walking along the city. Hence, the character created by Auster both diverges from the conventional image of the city walker in term of the characteristic features, and is consistent with it when the scope of the flâneur’s responsibilities is considered.[1] Mumford, Lewis. “What Is a City?” In LeGates Richard and Frederic Stout The City Reader. London: Routledge, 2011. 91-95.

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3 New Horizons in English Studies

3 Antoszek E.

3 Bendrat A.

3 Czemiel G.

3 Frelik E.

3 Galant J.

3 Głaz A.

3 Kniaź-Hunek L.

3 Komsta M.

3 Kula J.

3 Okuń-Jaśkowiak A.

3 Oleszczuk A.

3 Prażmo E.

3 Szczypa P.

3 Terejko P.

3 Waszkiewicz A.

1 2018

1 2017

1 2016

Search results

“May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor” Dystopian Reality in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games Trilogy

The Image of Contemporary Society in Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere

How Far From a 19th Century Flâneur? A Female Urban Walker in Paul Auster’s In the Country of Last Things Abstract