ABSTRACT
As early as John Marsden's "Tomorrow" series, which began with the 1993 book Tomorrow When the War Began, the tension between gender and place has been fictionalized within a number of young adult dystopian novels. Scott Westerfeld's Uglies, Ally Condie's Matched, and Lauren Oliver's Delirium may not yet have gained the fan-base or the academic interest of other young adult dystopian novels like the "Hunger Games" series. It has long been acknowledged that dystopian novels, though fictitious, address larger social and cultural movements and concerns. Within much of young adult dystopian fiction there is a causal relationship between a protagonist's awakening and agency. Condie's novel uses the motif of Cassia's writing to weave together themes of freedom and control. Kristi McDuffie believes that an important connection exists between young adult dystopian narratives and literacy.
