June 29, 2011
Women's studies professor presents research on Lois Lowry and Suzanne Collins at national conference
Angela Hubler, associate professor of women's studies, presented her research on young adult dystopian fiction by best-selling writers Lois Lowry, author of the Newbery Award winner "The Giver" and Suzanne Collins, author of "The Hunger Games" trilogy, at the 38th annual Children's Literature Association Conference at Hollins University in Roanoke, Va., June 23-25.
Hubler's paper, "Utopia and Anti-Utopia in Lois Lowry and Suzanne Collins' Dystopian Trilogies," argues that while both trilogies are set in the dystopian future, Lowry's fiction manifests suspicion on utopian projects and suggests that humanity is incapable of creating a just society. Collins, however, offers the utopian hope that a better society can be created through the collective efforts of ordinary people.