Taking the Reader “Someplace a Little Different” RUSSIAN-NESS IN YOUNG ADULT FANTASY Karlijn Kitzen Radboud University Nijmegen Supervisor: Dr. O. Dekkers MA Thesis European Literature 15 June 2019 Kitzen s4405447/2 Kitzen s4405447/3 Summary Young adult literature (YAL) has been growing in popularity since its conception in the mid- twentieth century. While young adult novels dominate the commercial literary market, academic scholarship on YAL is still limited. In recent years, there has been more and more demand for YAL that is diverse in its nature. The market has answered this demand to an extent and there have been a number of titles published with POC or LGBTQI+ characters and stories. This demand is not limited to contemporary young adult literature. Many novels in genres such as fantasy or science fiction have also become more diverse, whether this is in the settings or the cast of these novels. There is a growing amount of young adult fantasy fiction that is set in non-Western worlds, in both the high and low fantasy categories. These are Asian, Arabian, African and Latin inspired worlds. Yet, we can also see a different trend emerge. There have been a number of novels set in Russia or a world inspired by Russia within the last decade. This thesis aims to explore this emergence of Russia as a setting and thematic background in young adult fantasy. To examine the role of Russian-ness in these young adult fantasy novels, Leerssen and Beller’s theory of imagology will be employed. The novels that will be analysed in this thesis are Shadow and Bone (2012) by Leigh Bardugo, The Bear and the Nightingale (2017) by Katherine Arden, The Crown’s Game (2016) by Evelyn Skye and Wicked Saints (2019) by Emily A. Duncan. A concept closely connected to imagology and national stereotype in this research is authenticity. The analyses of the four novels revealed different attitudes to Russian-ness, but also comparisons between the novels. There was also an interesting contrast between the role and adaptations of Russian-ness of low and high fantasy novels. These results have shed some light on the possible explanations for this on- going trend. Kitzen s4405447/4 Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor dr. Odin Dekkers for his encouragement, guidance and feedback during the writing process. I had initially chosen a completely different topic for this thesis, which I regretted. Dr. Dekkers helped me settle on the current topic during a brainstorm session. I found our meetings incredibly helpful in making sense of my findings and exploring different aspects of my thesis. I would also like to express my gratitude to my loved ones, my parents, sister, partner and close friends. Unfortunately, the week before my deadline I had a number of setbacks. It was their care and reassurance that helped me pull through and soldier on. I want to say thanks to my partner in particular. His kind words and relentless confidence in my abilities are immensely appreciated. Lastly, I would also like to thank my classmates Iris Cuijpers and Madelon Wentink for their support in my writing process; for listening, the occasional pep talks and helping me bounce around ideas. Kitzen s4405447/5 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 7 1.1 The Popularity of Young Adult literature ......................................................................... 7 1.2 The Scholarly Debate on YAL ....................................................................................... 11 1.3 The Call for Diversity in YAL ....................................................................................... 13 1.4 Diversity in YAL: the Update ........................................................................................ 15 1.5 The Peculiar (Emergence of) Interest in Russia ............................................................. 17 1.6 The Aim of This Research .............................................................................................. 19 2. Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................................ 22 2.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 22 2.2. Russia as a Nation .......................................................................................................... 25 2.3. Characteristics of the Russian Nation ............................................................................ 32 2.4. Methodology .................................................................................................................. 33 3. Shadow and Bone (2012) by Leigh Bardugo ....................................................................... 35 3.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 35 3.2. Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 36 3.2.1. Overt Representations ............................................................................................. 36 3.2.2. Covert Representations ........................................................................................... 37 3.3. Role of Russian-ness ..................................................................................................... 41 4. The Bear and the Nightingale (2017) by Katherine Arden .................................................. 43 4.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 43 4.2. Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 44 4.2.1. Overt Representations ............................................................................................. 44 4.2.2. Covert Representations ........................................................................................... 48 4.3. Role of Russian-ness ..................................................................................................... 51 5. The Crown’s Game (2016) by Evelyn Skye ......................................................................... 53 5.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 53 5.2. Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 54 5.2.1. Overt Representations ............................................................................................. 54 Kitzen s4405447/6 5.2.2. Covert Representations ........................................................................................... 57 5.3. Role of Russian-ness ..................................................................................................... 61 6. Wicked Saints (2019) by Emily A. Duncan .......................................................................... 64 6.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 64 6.2. Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 65 6.2.1. Overt Representations ............................................................................................. 65 6.2.2. Covert Representations ........................................................................................... 69 6.3. Role of Russian-ness ..................................................................................................... 73 7. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 75 7.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 75 7.2. Findings of the Individual Analyses .............................................................................. 75 7.3. Overall Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 78 7.4. Further Research ............................................................................................................ 80 8. Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 81 9. Appendix .............................................................................................................................. 85 A. Synopsis Shadow and Bone (2012) by Leigh Bardugo ................................................... 85 B. Synopsis The Bear and the Nightingale (2016) by Katherine Arden .............................. 87 C. Synopsis The Crown’s Game (2017) by Evelyn Skye ..................................................... 90 D. Synopsis Wicked Saints (2019) by Emily A. Duncan ...................................................... 94 E. Figures .............................................................................................................................. 96 Kitzen s4405447/7 1. Introduction 1.1 The Popularity of Young Adult literature Young adult fiction is everywhere. Young adult literature (YAL or YA) has been