Investigating Dystopian Denominators and Their Manifestation in Veronica Roth’s Divergent Trilogy and Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan (Manga)

Abstract

In the recent decades, dystopian fiction has been getting more attention from readers and analysts alike. This is mainly because of this literary genre’s nature that reflects the human reality. This research aims to explain the nature of this genre and to highlight how a work of fiction can be classified as dystopian, regardless of whether it has a monomodal or a multimodal form. Divergent trilogy and Attack on Titan manga are dystopian works of fiction that have similar nature but different forms. In fact, the purpose of this research is mainly to answer the questions: what are the dystopian denominators that lie within the literary elements, i.e. plot, setting, and characters, of both selected works? As well as, which binary oppositions, those of Derridian deconstruction theory, support both works’ dystopian nature? Of course, the study covers different binary oppositions including that of freedom and control, love and ethics, hero and villain…etc. The nature of this study is mainly qualitative based on descriptive and analytical methods. The study adopts the deconstructionist approach which allows the researcher to decipher both works’ discourses, as well as the binaries lying within them, in regard to the portrayal of dystopia. The collected data, from both primary and secondary sources, is analyzed and interpreted from the lenses of dystopian fiction along with its frame and manifestations. Finally, the main conclusion that this research draws is the distinct manifestation of dystopia in the selected works; as well as, the distinct relation between the medium of manga and literature, which is greatly supported by the literary elements that this medium includes.