“An honest escape” of a modern character: escapism problem in young adult fiction in the 21st century

Abstract

We analyze the problem of escapism, briefly discuss its history and evolution, its attitude to the problem in different periods of history. Analysis of this problem is the main goal of this work. The subject of this research is the texts of authors writing for children and teenagers, created over the past decade. On the example of young adult fiction in recent years, the development of an escapist motive, a change in attitude towards it and possible causes of such a transformation are observed. The relevance of the study is that modern texts that have not yet been studied by modern literary studies are analyzed, and the problem of escapism is considered in accordance with the cultural and social trends of today. In the process, we use an integrated research method. The result of studying the problem of escapism can be called a review of modern young adult fiction, in which there is a motive for fleeing reality, as well as some observations and conclusions that may be useful in studying the cultural and social problems of today. We conclude that escapism in modern young adult fiction is a full-fledged motive and means of interacting with reality. The scope of the research results is the study of modern literary texts by philologists, literary critics, literature teachers, as well as students and schoolchildren who are interested in expanding and deepening literary knowledge.