Analyzing Amazon's 'Beautiful Creatures'

776 Words4 Pages

Introduction
Before computers or phones came about, books were the original source of entertainment that allowed humans to explore the world outside of their daily boundaries. Fantasy novels over all other genres, allows the reader to experience an entirely new universe. This aspect is what makes the fantasy genre so fascinating. There are no set generally accepted criteria for determining the boundaries of fantasy. (Klinger 6) It is hard to distinguish between fantasy and related genres such as science fiction. (Timmerman 2) Then what kind of unique features does fantasy have that allows it to be identified as fantasy? According to Timmerman, six traits must be present to some degree to be able to be identified as fantasy literature. Which …show more content…

The Beautiful Creatures series is a #1 New York Times bestseller today, it has been published in 50 countries and translated into over 30 languages. “Beautiful Creatures” was a finalist for the ALA’s William C. Morris Debut award and SCIBA award in 2010. It was named Amazon’s #1 Teen book of 2009, and #5 on the Editor’s Top 100 List. As if replying to the fan appreciation, there has been an extended sequel of the series as well, which includes “Dangerous Creatures”. Before Kami Garcia worked with Margaret Stohl to write “Beautiful Creatures”, she wrote short stories. Garcia has been fascinated by the paranormal which may have led to her interest in writing the “Beautiful Creatures” Margaret Stohl won the Know Prize for English Literature at Amherst College and completed coursework for a doctor’s degree at Yale University. (Author Bios …show more content…

Thomas wakes up not remembering anything from his past life, he meets a group of men who do not know where they came from as well. The men have made a society within the maze, but danger starts to attack them. The people must make a choice between escaping the maze full of unexpected obstacle or continuing to live inside the Glaze even if they might be attacked again. Thomas is the leader of the group who decide to escape the maze, to survive they must run. (Dashner’s Life 2017)

Context into novel with research question What techniques do the authors of “Beautiful Creatures” and “The Maze Runner” use to structure a fantasy world? “Beautiful Creatures” and “The Maze Runner” both contain the six characteristics of fantasy literature: Story, Character, Another World, The Supernatural, a struggle between good and evil, and a quest. The essay will analyze the two novels based on the six traits and techniques of the fantasy