Young Saviors and Agents of Change: Power, Environment, and Girlhood in Contemporary Finnish Young Adult Dystopias

Abstract

Up until the end of the twentieth century, the dystopia was a practically nonexistent genre in Finnish literature. However, since the turn of the century, there has been a marked dystopian turn. In addition to the anxieties associated with the passing of the millennium, emerging global issues such as digital development, environmental problems, and terrorism have contributed to the ongoing popularity of dystopian fiction. 1 At the same time, Finnish literature has been strongly influenced by the trends of international book markets. For example, the unprecedented popularity of dystopian young adult (YA) literature has inspired Finnish authors. In the past ten years, a number of writers have published post-apocalyptic visions of a world gone awry. Contemporary Finnish dystopian fiction reveals the collective fears over the destruction of the Finnish welfare state. This grim and often violent fiction does not portray Finland as a Nordic utopia, but rather as a society in which the social welfare and the general well-being of citizens have collapsed as a result of, among other things, climate change, continuous wars, totalitarian regimes, consumer capitalism, and the repression of minorities. However, in the dystopian fiction aimed at adolescent audiences, optimism for a better future is also important. This hope is created through the possibility of change that only the next generations can bring. Therefore, one of the most important characteristic of the contemporary YA dystopias seems to be the strong active agency given to young characters. 2 The trope of the child savior-in which a child or young person represents the hope of an otherwise doomed humankind-is common in Western YA dystopias. 3 In contemporary YA dystopias, adolescence is almost an "antidote to corrupt adulthood." 4 As Carrie Hintz and Elaine Ostry suggest, there is a long tradition of seeing childhood itself as utopian, a space and time apart from adult life and all its concerns. 5 The emphasis on the innocence and purity of children is originally a Romantic idea, 6 but this notion of utopian childhood is still present in contemporary YA dystopias, where the adolescent protagonist's idealistic and morally superior viewpoint can bring hope to a dark, dystopian future. 7

Maailma tuhon jälkeen

“…Tällaisten dystopiateosten on nähty tarjoavan nuorelle lukijalle mahdollisuuksia peilata poliittista toimijuuttaan maailmassa, jossa heillä ei useinkaan ole todellisia mahdollisuuksia vaikuttaa yhteiskunnalliseen tilanteeseensa. (Laakso, Lahtinen & Samola 2019;Laakso 2020, 124. ) Zerindan takaumien välityksellä lukija pääsee seuraamaan Romahdusajan maailmaa 2020-lopussa, jolloin ihmiset eivät lopulta kykene muuttamaan suuntaa ennen yksittäisen hakkerin lopullisesti liikkeelle sysäämää katastrofia.…”

“…Utopian, erityisesti feministisen utopian lajiin ja nuortenkirjallisuuteen liittyvää tutkimusta on Suomessa tehty aiemmin lähinnä suhteessa dystopiaan, antiutopiaan ja postapokalypsiin (esim. Samola 2016;Korpua 2017;Isomaa 2017;Laakso 2020). Nykykirjallisuuden dystopioita on tarkasteltu yhtäältä erilaisten yhteiskunnallisten uhkien kritiikkinä ja toisaalta muutosta esiin kutsuvina varoituskertomuksina satiirien ohella (ks.…”

Innocent heroes or self‐absorbed alarmists? A thematic review of the variety and effects of storylines about young people in climate change discourses

“…It includes both research that offers understandings of how young people are storied in relation to climate change and research that itself produces storylines about young people and climate change. Often informed by constructivist, poststructuralist, and feminist methodologies, this former group of literature has investigated young people in the context of climate change using a variety of analytical approaches including positionings (Weller, 2006); representations (Mayes & Hartup, 2021); mobilizations (Raby & Sheppard, 2021); figurations (Nolas, 2021); archetypes (Mkono et al, 2020); narratives (Han & Ahn, 2020); portrayals (Bergmann & Ossewaarde, 2020); discourses (Benoit et al, 2022); motifs (Laakso et al, 2019); roles (Rogers, 2020); and framings (von Zabern & Tulloch, 2021). While some of these approaches overlap and align with our analysis, our focus on the co‐existence of diverse storylines about young people and climate change, as revealed through diverse behavioral and social science disciplines, is novel.…”

“…A striking example of the individualizing of climate heroes can be seen in social media (Mkono et al, 2020) and newspaper (Murphy, 2021) representations of Greta Thunberg, catalyst of the School Strike 4 Climate movement. Bergmann and Ossewaarde's (2020) cultural analysis of the representation of Thunberg in two German newspapers, for example, notes how she is storied as a “young heroine.” Moriarty (2021) demonstrates how Thunberg is represented as a hero in popular literature as a way of inviting readers into critical engagement with the climate crisis (see also Laakso et al, 2019). Murphy's (2021, p. 196) media studies analysis of English media representations describes how Thunberg is the “celebrity who wasn't,” with her celebrity status rooted in strong conviction, humility, and unwavering focus on climate science.…”