The Times recently presented a “Room for Debate” feature on dystopianism in young-adult literature. Why are recent books and series (the Dark Materials books, the Hunger Games series, the Twilight saga) so dark? The contributors offer lots of different answers: cultural changes, technology, kids are changing, the world is changing, kids want reality, etc.
Here's my answer: it's nothing new.
To wit:
- “David Copperfield.” Hero works in a factory, gluing labels on bottles.
- “Great Expectations.” Old lady catches on fire. Rotting wedding cake.
- “Treasure Island” and “Kidnapped.” Main characters get into serious trouble, in strange distant dangerous places, consorting with outlaws and criminals and rebels.
- “Huckleberry Finn.” Huck's father is a violent drunk. They live between the slave states and the free states, and they know exactly what “slave” means, but Huck chooses to help his friend Jim into freedom (which ain't perfect either, but which is far better than the alternative).
- Diane Duane's “Wizard” books (personal favorites of mine) take place in a universe in which entropy is an unpleasant fact of life, and Lucifer frequently turns up to taunt the main characters (in the most polite and seductive way possible).
- Harry Potter is an abused stepchild. His home life with Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia is played for laughs, but it's plainly vile.
- The Five Little Peppers lived in intense poverty. Polly weeps with joy when she gets a new stove.
- The March girls weren't terribly well-off – not even able to afford pickled limes! - and their father was off ministering to soldiers in that thing called the Civil War.
- Evelyn Nesbit could write very sprightly fantasy, but take a look at “The Railway Children”: Dad's in jail, Mom's desperately poor, the kids are oblivious.
Let us not even speak of the brothers Grimm.
Makes your own childhood look a little brighter, doesn't it?
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