1.

Ewa Sawicka
27 September 2023 at 09:34:00
Keep Polish titles/degrees

Vistula University
Faculty of Philology and Journalism

Program of Study Philology

Student’s full name

Student number

(THESIS TITLE)

Bachelor’s / Master’s thesis

written under the supervision of
1 dr ……..

Warsaw, 2023
 Table of Contents:

Introduction .......................................................................................................................3
Chapter 1: Theoretical Background ..................................................................................5
1.1 Utopia ......................................................................................................................5
1.2 Dystopia ..................................................................................................................6
This page goes after the conclusion ..................................................................................8
List of Tables and Images..................................................................................................8
Bibliography ....................................................................................................................10
Tables ..............................................................................................................................10
Appendix 1: Practical Project: Translating a Detective Boardgame ...............................12

3
2. Ewa Sawicka
9 August 2021 at 08:34:00
Each section (Introduction,
Chapter 1, Bibligraphy. Etc. must
begin on the top page – i.e. the
one with the wide margin on the
left – that is why, you need to use
the function: insert, page division
or sometimes blank page.

2 Introduction
When novels such as Brave New World written by Aldous Huxley or We by Yevgeny
Zamyatin were published, people started noticing the significance of dystopian
literature. Since then, many great works of this genre were written and targeted
especially at adults. However, for the last couple of years, dystopias for young adults
began to flourish. The continuous increase in the number of novels and films that
include dystopian elements contribute to the creation of this thesis.
The first chapter focuses on defining the terms utopia and dystopia. Different
approaches to utopian and dystopian writings are discussed here in order to show what
types of texts can be classified as belonging to the genre. Moreover, a brief history of
the genre is provided.
The second chapter concentrates directly on dystopian literature for young
adults. Popular motifs and structures are examined as well as the reasons why dystopia
has caught the attention of such a broad audience of young people.
The third chapter contains an analysis of two contemporary novels, Divergent by
Veronica Roth and Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi, concentrating on their dystopian
elements such as oppressive government, divisions in society or economic
manipulation. Each novel is also evaluated in terms of features that are said to be
especially appreciated by young adults and which were listed in the second chapter.
The aim of this dissertation is to investigate how dystopia is presented in
contemporary literature and what features of repressive society are used to create the
dystopian reality. Besides discussing those characteristics, this paper determines motifs
and features that are drawing the attention of teenagers and without which those novels
would not become all-time bestsellers.
The methodology that is used to write this thesis is primarily literature-based.
The characteristic features of dystopian literature are selected through an analysis of the
already existing research and studies conducted by a specialist in this field: i.e. Carrie
Hintz, Melissa Ames, Balaka Basu or Justin Scholes. Close reading is the research
method that is used to analyse two contemporary series for young adults, Divergent and
Shatter me, and allowed to create an in-depth study.
3. Ewa Sawicka
29 November 2022 at 14:34:00
Short quotations are given in
inverted commas or in italics,
longer must be separated from the
text - see the Guide p. 37

4. Ewa Sawicka
29 November 2022 at 14:24:00
Example of references pertaining
to one source and given on the
same page

Chapter 1: Theoretical Background

1.1 Utopia
In order to define dystopia properly, it is essential to begin with a short reference to a
that provides its source and which was coined much earlier, namely, utopia. The
complexity and broadness of this term make it a challenge to define. According to
Carrie Hintz and Elaine Ostry, the problem emerges since elements such as the function,
form, characters’ goals and beliefs or author’s message, variates in almost every utopian
work.1 The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines utopia as “a place, state or
3 condition ideally perfect in respects of politics, law, customs and conditions”.2 Another,
but at the same time very familiar definition is introduced by M.H. Abrams which says
that utopia is “the class of fictional writings that represent an ideal but nonexistent
political and social way of life”.3
Although Thomas More was the first who defined utopia, nevertheless, the
actual idea of an idyllic place had existed in literature for many centuries before.
Descriptions of places, where people live in welfare and happiness in perfect political
order, can already be found in the historical beginnings of the European and other
cultures. Greek poems such as Odyssey and the Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh provide
great examples here. Following their trails, philosophers such as Plato or Cicero wrote
the now-famous dialogues Republic and On the Commonwealth. Eventually, in 1516,
More’s Utopia was published and the idea of a faultless society in literature spread
across continents inspiring many great authors.4
As regards American literature, utopian thoughts date back to the time long
before the colonial period when members of “Indian” tribes were using this idea in
4 either ritual performances or simply oral stories.5 Utopian works of the 17th century
include for instance John Winthrop’s sermon A Model of Christian Charity (1630)

1Carrie Hintz, Elaine Ostry, Utopian and Dystopian Writings for Children and Young Adults, Routledge,
New York 2003, pp. 2-3.
2William Little, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles, Vol. 2, Oxford, Great
Britain 1933, p. 2327.
3 M.H. Abrams, A Glossary of Literary Terms Seventh Edition, Thomson Learning, Boston 1999, p. 327.
4John Anthony Bowden Cuddon, Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory, Wiley-Blackwell,
United Kingdom 2013, p. 750.
5 Ibid., pp. 2-4
5. Ewa Sawicka
29 November 2022 at 14:26:00
Example of recording a source
used earlier on a different page

where he demonstrates that through faith and optimism people can create a harmonious
Christian society. Puritan beliefs in New Jerusalem, freedom and democracy give a raise
to other utopian implications such as John Smith’s Description of New England (1616)
or Samuel Purchas’s Discourse on Virginia (1625). In the 18th century, utopian themes
can be found in Cotton Mather’s Magnalia Christi Americana, Thomas Paine’s
Common Sense (1776) or even in the political documents such as Declaration of
Independence (1776). Another author who used the idea of an idyllic place was Herman
Melville. He describes a paradise island Edenic in his adventure novel Typee (1846).
Facing the reality of life during the first half of 20th people began to treat utopia as
something irrational and impossible to imagine or achieve. Cold War arose pessimistic
visions of the future. Eventually, utopian literature almost vanished from the literary
scene.6

1.2 Dystopia
Dystopia is considered to be the opposite of utopia. One of literary dictionaries
describes dystopia as “works of fiction, including science fiction, that represent a very
unpleasant imaginary world in which ominous tendencies of our present social,
political, and technological order are projected into a disastrous future culmination”.7
As it is pointed out by Carrie Hintz and Elaine Ostry, “dystopias are likewise precise
descriptions of societies, ones in which the ideals for improvement have gone tragically
amok.”8 which implies that dystopian works describe places which at the first sight
seem to be utopian but with the development of action completely change. While
reading such a novel, the reader has a chance learn more and more about the societies’
flaws and eventually comes to the conclusion that it is not that perfect as it appears to be
5 at the beginning.9 Dystopia is also presented as a “fictional portrayal of a society in

6Steven R. Serafin, Alfred Bendixen, The Continuum Encyclopedia of American Literature, The
Continuum Publishing Company, New York 2003, p. 1169.
7 M.H. Abrams, A Glossary of Literary Terms Seventh Edition, Thomson Learning, Boston 1999, p. 328.
8Carrie Hintz, Elaine Ostry, Utopian and Dystopian Writings for Children and Young Adults, Routledge,
New York 2003, p. 3.
9 John Anthony Bowden Cuddon, op. cit., p. 65
which evil, or negative social and political developments, have the upper hand”10 which
suggest that in this kind of stories the great power lay in hands of society’s leaders.

10Gregory Claeys, The Cambridge Companion to Utopian Literature, Cambridge University Press, USA
2010, p. 107.
 This page goes a er the conclusion
List of Tables and Images
Table 1 Translation of Poetry - Examples .......................................................................20
Table 2 Translation of Puns and Wordplay – Examples ..................................................24
Table 3 Translation of Untranslatable Elements – Examples ..........................................27
Table 4 Translation of Historical and Cultural Elements - Examples .............................30
Table 5 Translation of Proper Names - Examples ...........................................................32

Figure 1 Ala w Krainie Czarów 1927 .............................................................................33

Figure 2 Alicja w Krainie Czarów 1955/2005 ................................................................33
Figure 3 Alicja w Krainie Czarów 1986 .........................................................................33
ft
Bibliography
Primary sources
None to Accompany Me -- book

Secondary sources
Books:
Abrams M.H., A Glossary of Literary Terms Seventh Edition, Thomson Learning,
Boston 1999
Basu Balaka, Broad Katherine R., Hintz Carrie, Contemporary Dystopian Fiction for
Young Adults: Brave New Teenagers, Routledge, New York 2013
Blackford Russell, Science Fiction and the Moral Imagination: Visions, Minds, Ethics,
Springer, Callaghan 2017

Magazines:
Ames Melissa, Engaging "Apolitical" Adolescents: Analyzing the Popularity and
Educational Potential of Dystopian Literature Post-9/11, High School Journal 2013,
Vol. 97, No. 1
Internet sources:
Foucault Michel, Of other spaces, http://web.mit.edu/allanmc/www/foucault1.pdf,
13.01.18
Not Just for Kids: Author Tahereh Mafi discusses 'Shatter Me',

Tables

Table 1. Summary of Subject Matter...............................................................................11

Table 2. Summary of Writing Style .................................................................................12
Appendix 1: Practical Project: Translating a Detective
Boardgame

The enclosed project represents a practical part of this thesis. It is my translation

of a detective boardgame titled Prime Suspect: Tajemnice Vileburga, which is to
come out in its English version in the coming years. The purpose of this project was
to allow a wider audience to experience the challenges that Sherlock Holmes
himself might have endured and familiarize themselves with that particular side of
English culture, without leaving the comforts of their homes and spending time with
their family and friends. I have always been a fan of detective stories myself and so
an opportunity to immerse myself in such work was thrilling to say the least.