Cyborgs, Wolves, and Aliens, Oh My: Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles and Diversity in YA Fairy Tale Retellings

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dc.contributor.authorBailey, Carson Galeen
dc.contributor.committeechairWeaver-Hightower, Rebecca Anneen
dc.contributor.committeememberChandler-Smith, Gena Eliseen
dc.contributor.committeememberWiscomb, Averyen
dc.contributor.departmentEnglishen
dc.date.accessioned2023-06-06T08:00:47Zen
dc.date.available2023-06-06T08:00:47Zen
dc.date.issued2023-06-05en
dc.description.abstractThe following study is interested in questions of diversity and inclusiveness in Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles, a tetralogy of best-selling young adult fairy tale revisions comprised of Cinder (2012), Scarlet (2013), Cress (2014), and Winter (2015). Scholars have expended significant energy defining the fairy tale, tracing its history and development, and analyzing 20th-century adult fairy tale revisions informed by second-wave feminism. However, little scholarly attention has been paid to young adult fairy tale revisions of the 21st Century and less still on The Lunar Chronicles. This study begins the work of filling that gap. Through a close reading of The Lunar Chronicles, I argue that Meyer's tetralogy is an influential, complex, and thematically comprehensive example of an ongoing shift away from feminist fairy tale revisions for adults toward young adult fairy tale revisions that focus on diversity and inclusiveness. My project begins with a chapter situating Meyer's work in the context of existing fairy tale scholarship and the burgeoning emphasis on diversity in contemporary American culture and young adult publishing. The following three chapters provide, respectively, a close reading of The Lunar Chronicles focused on racial identity, gender and sexuality, and disabilities. In showcasing more recent YA fairy tale retellings, the final chapter seeks to draw some tentative conclusions about the continuing importance of diversity and inclusiveness in an evolving genre of reimagined fairy tales for a young adult audience.en
dc.description.abstractgeneralIn her bestselling young adult science fiction tetralogy The Lunar Chronicles (2012-2015), Marissa Meyers reimagines four classic fairy tales: "Cinderella" (Cinder), "Little Red Riding Hood" (Scarlet), "Rapunzel" (Cress), and "Snow White" (Winter). Meyer's work continues a tradition of revising traditional fairy tales. Disney's Princess franchise of reimagined fairy tales has essentially defined the genre for generations of American children, while Angela Carter's adult fairy tale revisions challenged its patriarchal orientation in the wake of second-wave feminism. In my detailed textual analysis of The Lunar Chronicles, I argue that Meyer's tetralogy is a relatively early, influential, and comprehensive example of a developing wave of specifically young adult fairy tale retellings that reflects a growing focus on issues of diversity and inclusiveness in 21st-century America. My project begins with a chapter that places Meyer's work in historical context, focusing on the development and definition of the fairy tale and presenting a brief overview of previous approaches to fairy tale revision. In the next three chapters, I analyze The Lunar Chronicles as it complicates questions of, respectively, race, gender and sexuality, and disability. My project concludes with a brief overview of young adult fairy tale retellings of the last decade, exploring how the genre continues to engage with questions of diversity and inclusiveness.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Artsen
dc.format.mediumETDen
dc.identifier.othervt_gsexam:38013en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/115328en
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectFairy talesen
dc.subjectMarissa Meyeren
dc.subjectThe Lunar Chroniclesen
dc.subjectretellingen
dc.subjectdiversityen
dc.subjectinclusivityen
dc.subjectraceen
dc.subjectgender and sexualityen
dc.subjectdisabilityen
dc.subjectyoung adult fictionen
dc.titleCyborgs, Wolves, and Aliens, Oh My: Marissa Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles and Diversity in YA Fairy Tale Retellingsen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineEnglishen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Artsen

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