Recurrent Dystopian themes in Scott Westerfeld’s Novel "Uglies"

Abstract

The genre of dystopian fiction has been largely studied, and a significant number of contributions explain its main themes and features. Plus, this type of literature is still strongly developed at present, with a several titles among the best sold. Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series (2005-2007), which can be found in this sort of works, is an example of recent dystopian literature which enjoys a large number of readers. The aim of this research is to determine whether Westerfeld develops in his first text of the series, Uglies (2005), a suggestion of recurrent themes in dystopian fiction. This can show to what extent Westerfeld frames his piece of fiction into a traditional dystopian setting. The results of this study, thus, can shed some light on the characteristics of 21st century dystopian fiction, which are to be compared with the traditional definition of the genre.