Utopian Nature and Dystopian Culture: Ecocritical Readings of Julie Bertagna's Exodus and Zenith
ABSTRACT This article discusses ecocritical aspects of two contemporary young adult dystopian novels: Julie Bertagna's Exodus and Zenith. It explores how these novels link utopia to nature, especially the rural pastoral, and dystopia to culture, especially urbanism and technology. The novels ar...
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crpennstateupr:10.5325/utopianstudies.30.2.0238 2024-06-02T08:07:19+00:00 Utopian Nature and Dystopian Culture: Ecocritical Readings of Julie Bertagna's Exodus and Zenith Lyngstad, Marit Elise 2019 http://dx.doi.org/10.5325/utopianstudies.30.2.0238 https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/psup/utopian-studies/article-pdf/30/2/238/1225329/utopianstudies_30_2_238.pdf en eng The Pennsylvania State University Press Utopian Studies volume 30, issue 2, page 238-251 ISSN 1045-991X 2154-9648 journal-article 2019 crpennstateupr https://doi.org/10.5325/utopianstudies.30.2.0238 2024-05-07T14:14:43Z ABSTRACT This article discusses ecocritical aspects of two contemporary young adult dystopian novels: Julie Bertagna's Exodus and Zenith. It explores how these novels link utopia to nature, especially the rural pastoral, and dystopia to culture, especially urbanism and technology. The novels are set in the near future and address the protagonist's search for a new home after the old has been destroyed. Greenland represents an ecological, utopian hope: a place where humans can coexist with nature and rebuild society. Contrasting with the utopian Greenland is the technological city New Mungo, which is elitist, totalitarian, and brutally dystopian—but also sustainable despite its syntheticity and ecological in its own sense. Greenland and New Mungo are connected to the ecocritical dualism of nature versus culture, and the societies' closeness to nature determines whether they are seen as utopian or dystopian. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Penn State University Press Greenland Utopian Studies 30 2 238 251 |
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Penn State University Press |
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crpennstateupr |
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English |
description |
ABSTRACT This article discusses ecocritical aspects of two contemporary young adult dystopian novels: Julie Bertagna's Exodus and Zenith. It explores how these novels link utopia to nature, especially the rural pastoral, and dystopia to culture, especially urbanism and technology. The novels are set in the near future and address the protagonist's search for a new home after the old has been destroyed. Greenland represents an ecological, utopian hope: a place where humans can coexist with nature and rebuild society. Contrasting with the utopian Greenland is the technological city New Mungo, which is elitist, totalitarian, and brutally dystopian—but also sustainable despite its syntheticity and ecological in its own sense. Greenland and New Mungo are connected to the ecocritical dualism of nature versus culture, and the societies' closeness to nature determines whether they are seen as utopian or dystopian. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Lyngstad, Marit Elise |
spellingShingle |
Lyngstad, Marit Elise Utopian Nature and Dystopian Culture: Ecocritical Readings of Julie Bertagna's Exodus and Zenith |
author_facet |
Lyngstad, Marit Elise |
author_sort |
Lyngstad, Marit Elise |
title |
Utopian Nature and Dystopian Culture: Ecocritical Readings of Julie Bertagna's Exodus and Zenith |
title_short |
Utopian Nature and Dystopian Culture: Ecocritical Readings of Julie Bertagna's Exodus and Zenith |
title_full |
Utopian Nature and Dystopian Culture: Ecocritical Readings of Julie Bertagna's Exodus and Zenith |
title_fullStr |
Utopian Nature and Dystopian Culture: Ecocritical Readings of Julie Bertagna's Exodus and Zenith |
title_full_unstemmed |
Utopian Nature and Dystopian Culture: Ecocritical Readings of Julie Bertagna's Exodus and Zenith |
title_sort |
utopian nature and dystopian culture: ecocritical readings of julie bertagna's exodus and zenith |
publisher |
The Pennsylvania State University Press |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.5325/utopianstudies.30.2.0238 https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/psup/utopian-studies/article-pdf/30/2/238/1225329/utopianstudies_30_2_238.pdf |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Greenland |
genre_facet |
Greenland |
op_source |
Utopian Studies volume 30, issue 2, page 238-251 ISSN 1045-991X 2154-9648 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5325/utopianstudies.30.2.0238 |
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Utopian Studies |
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30 |
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2 |
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238 |
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251 |
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1800752383322488832 |