Teen entertainment runs dry

Teen entertainment runs dry

Michaela Cavataio, Features Editor

As time goes on, different styles of writing and new ideas come into the world of literature.

In the recent years, however, authors have overused the same pretentious plots consisting over a dystopian society with an evil government and a protagonist who is at first reluctant to lead the rebels in a fight to save the world.

Whether their name is Katniss, Tris, Harry, Percy or Clary makes no difference. Their back grounds are similar—the death of a beloved family member, a childhood in the shadows, a complete chance meeting with the one person who will lead them to their destiny.

As each novel draws to a close, President Snow, Lord Voldemort, Valentine, or Kronos’s victory seems inevitable. This is when the young and completely unexperienced heroes bring their forces together and miraculously win.

Another cliché that has been overused is the love subplot. There is always a brooding, mysterious man, or an independent girl for the main characters to paw over, awkwardly talk to and unrealistically win over when put into a near death experience.

People seem to forget the classic novels that have been popular for over a hundred years. These writers, such as Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, were the first to open up new worlds for their readers to become a part of. Their work not only presented people with new characters to relate to and adventures to follow, but each book had an individual and unique plots.

Each story line brought a different outlook on the world and an array of characters for people to root for.

The classic novels are overlooked because readers see them as old books with no adventures to offer. But what many don’t realize, is that the stories must be doing something right if they have been able to remain popular for so long.