Terror and the teen: ‘Slated’ and young adult dystopian fiction

Abstract

This Masters of Arts thesis comprises a novel, Slated, and contextualizing thesis. Slated, a young adult dystopian novel, is Kyla’s story: a sixteen-year-old girl who has been Slated, her memory wiped as punishment for crimes she cannot remember. It is set in a future England, a society where underage criminals and terrorists are given a so-called second chance with Slating, a new life and family. The thesis considers the writing process of Slated in the context of terrorism and cultural trauma, and the use of creative writing in translating trauma. The definition of terrorism and whether it includes freedom fighters is considered, both in international law and its treatment in dystopian young adult fiction, and the conclusion reached that whether terrorists are considered to be freedom fighters is largely a matter of perspective. The genre of recent dystopian young adult fiction is examined, and how Slated fits within it and within dystopian fiction more generally considered. Finally, the impact of the analysis of terrorism and young adult dystopian fiction on the writing process of Slated is examined.