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

The 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.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English

Department dc:contributor.department

English

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Bailey, Carson Gale

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Weaver-Hightower, Rebecca Anne

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Chandler-Smith, Gena Elise
• Wiscomb, Avery

• Fairy tales
• Marissa Meyer
• The Lunar Chronicles
• retelling
• diversity
• inclusivity
• race
• gender and sexuality
• disability
• young adult fiction

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:38013

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/115328