Pretties Uglies 2

Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject English - Literature, Works, grade: 1,0, Humboldt-University of Berlin (Institut für Anglistik), course: Figurations of Survival in Dystopian (Young Adult) Fiction, language: English, abstract: Scott Westerfeld`s trilogy Uglies – Pretties – Specials tells us about the 15-year-old girl Tally who lives in a society whose citizens (have to) undergo an operation in order to be made pretty as soon as they get 16 years old. The books could easily be taken for prominently criticizing callomania, i.e. the excessive love of and craving for beauty and the respective extreme efforts people make to appear beautiful and thus correspond to a certain ideal. It is widely acknowledged that Western countries have developed into societies whose citizens spend remarkable amounts of time and money in the “improvement” or “maintenance” of their fitness and body appearance. Since the 1980s, an increasing number of so-called body image disorders is reported. More and more and even younger people suffer from a systematic depreciation of their bodies as they compare them to ideal and imaginative body images (Menninghaus, Winfried: Das Versprechen der Schönheit. Frankfurt a. Main: Suhrkamp, 2007: 250-251). It therefore seems a first and logical approach to see Westerfeld`s books as a major criticism of today`s (Western)societies and media which make people perceive their bodies as negative and inferior. As they are considered to be dystopian fictions, we anticipate Westerfeld`s novels to carry a warning reference to the reader`s present society. In this sense, Westerfeld`s books offer a most sinister view on how far we could get if we are advancing technologies like aesthetic surgery and genetic engineering without reconsidering how, why and to what extent we use them. We assume this critical warning to be embodied in the protagonist Tally who tries to succeed in disengaging from the ideology indoctrinated by her city. This paper wants to “track” the critical approaches we find in the novels and examine whether the narrations really live up to the criticism apparently promised. It will look at the concepts of beauty the protagonist Tally is confronted with and refer to current scientific and popular discourses about these respective concepts. Finally, a connection shall be drawn between the issues raised in the novels and the genre chosen to work on them. Why are “beauty” and “body” relevant topics to be treated in Young Adult fiction? And how does the genre Young Adult literature change the portrayal and reception of the issues? Questions like these shall be dealt with in order to review the books` message in the context of their intended readership.

Before The Hunger Games, there was… Uglies. Fast-paced, chilling and thought-provoking - this ebook collection will leave you wondering. Beauty guaranteed-but at what price? In Tally's world, at sixteen you are transformed from a repellent Ugly into a stunningly attractive Pretty, and catapulted into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a great time. But Tally is tired of it. And the choices she makes changes her world forever. First as an ugly, then a pretty, and finally a special, Tally takes down the social infrastructure. And then, a generation later, a world obsessed with fame and instant celebrity - and filled with extras - will reap the consequences. This ebook boxed set includes all four titles in the international bestselling series.

Depuis l'opération chirurgicale qui l'a dotée d'un visage parfait, avec de grands yeux pailletés d'or, Tally vit dans le brouillard bienheureux des Pretty. Ses seules préoccupations : être à la mode et faire la fête. Jusqu'à ce qu'elle rencontre Zane. Avec lui, elle réussit à lever le voile de fumée qui recouvre son esprit et retrouve l'antidote qu'elle avait prévu de prendre, avant de tout oublier. Ils partagent tous les deux ce remède et retrouvent petit à petit leur lucidité, mais Zane a de violentes migraines. Ils doivent fuir, et vite, pour retrouver les Ugly rebelles qui pourront les aider. Pourtant, en chemin, Tally doute : et si l'opération existait pour le bien de tous ? Avant, les hommes s'entretuaient, détruisaient tout sur leur passage. Maintenant, ils sont heureux, et ne se déchirent plus. Alors qu'elle rejoint enfin les rebelles, les forces des Specials débarquent et la ramènent de force. Quand elle se réveillera, elle aura subi une nouvelle opération et sera devenue une effrayante... Special.

A fresh repackaging of the bestselling Uglies boks...the series that started the whole dystopian trend!

Responding to the increasingly powerful presence of dystopian literature for young adults, this volume focuses on novels featuring a female protagonist who contends with societal and governmental threats at the same time that she is navigating the treacherous waters of young adulthood. The contributors relate the liminal nature of the female protagonist to liminality as a unifying feature of dystopian literature, literature for and about young women, and cultural expectations of adolescent womanhood. Divided into three sections, the collection investigates cultural assumptions and expectations of adolescent women, considers the various means of resistance and rebellion made available to and explored by female protagonists, and examines how the adolescent female protagonist is situated with respect to the groups and environments that surround her. In a series of thought-provoking essays on a wide range of writers that includes Libba Bray, Scott Westerfeld, Tahereh Mafi, Veronica Roth, Marissa Meyer, Ally Condie, and Suzanne Collins, the collection makes a convincing case for how this rebellious figure interrogates the competing constructions of adolescent womanhood in late-twentieth- and early twenty-first-century culture.

The first two novels of Scott Westerfeld’s New York Times bestselling series—a global phenomenon that started the dystopian trend—now available in one edition. Tally can’t wait to turn sixteen. Only then will she be able to have an operation to turn her from a repellant ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and live in New Pretty Town—a high-tech paradise where her only job will be to have fun. But when Tally finally becomes pretty, everything isn’t as perfect as it seems. Underneath all the beauty and luxury is a nagging sense that something is wrong. Very wrong. Searching for the truth, Tally discovers a whole new side of the pretty world—and it isn’t very pretty. Now Tally has a choice to make: fight to forget what she knows or fight for her life.

If there is anyone who should be the children's playwright laureate it is David Wood' (Evening Standard) The Owl and the Pussycat Went to See - '... the funniest, prettiest and most melodious children's show I have ever seen' (Guardian); The BFG - 'Any child not delighted by the BFG must have a head filled with squashed flies, and deserves to be fed for a year on disgustatious snozzcumbers' (Guardian); The Plotters of Cabbage Patch Corner - 'A milestone in children's entertainment' (Theatre Review); Save the Human - 'A first-rate show, it's colourful, entertaining and thought-provoking' (Sunderland Echo)

Teaching Young Adult Literature: Developing Students As World Citizens (by Thomas W. Bean, Judith Dunkerly-Bean, and Helen Harper) is a middle and secondary school methods text that introduces pre-service teachers in teacher credential programs and in-service teachers pursuing a Masters degree in Education to the field of young adult literature for use in contemporary contexts. The text introduces teachers to current research on adolescent life and literacy; the new and expanding genres of young adult literature; teaching approaches and practical strategies for using young adult literature in English and Language Arts secondary classrooms and in Content Area Subjects (e.g. History); and ongoing social, political and pedagogical issues of English and Language Arts classrooms in relation to contemporary young adult literature.

The second installment of Scott Westerfeld's international bestselling Uglies series - the global phenomenon that started the dystopian trend. In Tally's world, looks are all that matters. And now that she's finally undertaken the surgery to become a 'Pretty', everything seems perfect: her looks are flawless, her clothes are cool, her boyfriend is totally gorgeous, and she's completely popular. But beneath the fun of non-stop parties, high-tech luxury and apparent total freedom, Tally can't stop a nagging sense that something is wrong. Something important. Then a message from her 'Ugly' past arrives, forcing Tally to remember the truth she learned before her transformation, and the fun stops cold. Because the true price of this perfect world is more than Tally is willing to pay... Praise for Uglies 'Fast paced, exciting and thought-provoking.' The Bookseller's Choice 'Superb sci-fi.' Amanda Craig, The Times Supplement 'Westerfeld introduces thought-provoking issues' Publishers Weekly 'The longing for fairy-tale beauty has never looked so sinister' Amanda Craig, The Times 'With a beginning and ending that pack hefty punches, this introduction to a dystopic future promises an exciting series.' Kirkus *starred review* 'This exciting story makes you realise how important it is not to judge people by appearances.' Newcastle Upon Tyne Journal 'This book is a real thrill-ride and the world utterly convincing.' Trashionista.com 'Fun, and the many by-the-skin-of-your-teeth escapes and hoverboard chases, plus the non-stop action plotting were enough to catch my attention and have me eagerly wanting more.' The Book Smugglers Also by Scott Westerfeld: Uglies Specials Extras

“This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves.”—Shay Uglies told Tally Youngblood’s version of life in Uglyville and the budding rebellion against the Specials. Now comes an exciting graphic novel revealing new adventures in the Uglies world—as seen through the eyes of Shay, Tally’s rebellious best friend who’s not afraid to break the rules, no matter the cost. A few months shy of her sixteenth birthday, Shay eagerly awaits her turn to become a Pretty—a rite-of-passage operation called “the Surge” that transforms ordinary Uglies into paragons of beauty. Yet after befriending the Crims, a group of fellow teens who refuse to take anything in society at face value, Shay starts to question the whole concept. And as the Crims explore beyond the monitored borders of Uglyville into the forbidden, ungoverned wild, Shay must choose between the perks of being Pretty and the rewards of being real.

Experience the riveting, dystopian Uglies series seen as never before—through the eyes of Shay, Tally Youngblood’s closest and bravest friend, who refuses to take anything about society at face value. “From the moment we are born, we are considered threats in need of ‘special’ management. We are watched and shaped and exploited by a force most of us never see. . . . All to keep us safe. . . . Do you feel safe?! Or do you feel like you’re in a cage?”—Shay In Pretties, Tally Youngblood and her daring best friend, Shay, both underwent the operation that turned them from ordinary Uglies into stunning beauties. Now this thrilling new graphic novel reveals Shay’s perspective on living in New Pretty Town . . . and the way she sees it, there’s more to this so-called paradise than meets the eye. With the endless parties and custom-made clothes, life as a Pretty should be perfect. Yet Shay doesn’t feel quite right. She has little to no memory of her past; it’s as if something in her brain has inexplicably changed. When she reunites with Tally and the Crims—her rebellious group of friends from Uglyville—she begins to recall their last departure to the wild, and the headstrong leader she used to be. And as she remembers the truth about what doomed their escape, Shay decides to fight back—against the status quo, against the mysterious Special Circumstances, even against her own best friend.

Seminar paper from the year 2018 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,5, Karlsruhe University of Education, language: English, abstract: Television, social platforms and advertisements are full of them: successful, rich and irresistibly attractive people. Their pretty faces, their beguiling smiles and glamourous appearances have a great influence on our idea of being beautiful. In our recent society beauty is a privilege, which leads to success, money and an unbridled lovelife. We strive for being equal to them. We envy them for their beauty, their fame and their lifestyle. At the same time it is obvious, that this world of glamour and flawlessness is moreoften a world of sham and pretence. High prices are paid for a beautyful face or a slim figure. Being under pressure to fit into a certain beauty ideal, the people in our society are victims of a beauty mania, which demands a lot. Not only a ridiculous high consumption of cosmetics and beauty products, but also more drastic measures like cosmetic surgeries or symptomes like anorexia and bulimia can be seen as a sign for that. But let us imagine a world without this beauty competition. A world, in which everyone is equally pretty due to a compulsory cosmetic surgery as a teenager. Scott Westerfeld creates such a scenery in his young dystopian fiction novel “Uglies” and takes a critical approach to a society, which is only based on being pretty. On the basis of this book, I want to have a closer look on our modern beauty ideals and how they influence our recent society. Or rather how our society influences beauty ideals. What problems arise with this beauty mania? What does Westerfeld criticises in his novel? I also want to pay attention on the beauty ideals in a historical context and how they changed over time.

Winner of the Children’s Literature Association Edited Book Award From the jaded, wired teenagers of M.T. Anderson's Feed to the spirited young rebels of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games trilogy, the protagonists of Young Adult dystopias are introducing a new generation of readers to the pleasures and challenges of dystopian imaginings. As the dark universes of YA dystopias continue to flood the market,Contemporary Dystopian Fiction for Young Adults: Brave New Teenagers offers a critical evaluation of the literary and political potentials of this widespread publishing phenomenon. With its capacity to frighten and warn, dystopian writing powerfully engages with our pressing global concerns: liberty and self-determination, environmental destruction and looming catastrophe, questions of identity and justice, and the increasingly fragile boundaries between technology and the self. When directed at young readers, these dystopian warnings are distilled into exciting adventures with gripping plots and accessible messages that may have the potential to motivate a generation on the cusp of adulthood. This collection enacts a lively debate about the goals and efficacy of YA dystopias, with three major areas of contention: do these texts reinscribe an old didacticism or offer an exciting new frontier in children's literature? Do their political critiques represent conservative or radical ideologies? And finally, are these novels high-minded attempts to educate the young or simply bids to cash in on a formula for commercial success? This collection represents a prismatic and evolving understanding of the genre, illuminating its relevance to children's literature and our wider culture.

Stanley the Stinkbug is upset: he isn’t invited to the Ugly Bug Ball because of his stench! Garden meanie Prissy Pray refuses to let Stanley attend the party, and that makes Stanley feel really bad about himself. Will his friends help him see how important every part of him is? Will he let Prissy Pray bully him into not going to the ball? Or will he gather his courage and overcome his fears?

This examination of the literary effectiveness of young adult literature from a critical, research-oriented perspective answers two key questions asked by many teachers and scholars in the field: Does young adult literature stand up on its own as literature? Is it worthy of close study? The treatment is both conceptual and pragmatic. Each chapter discusses a topical text set of YA novels in a conceptual framework—how these novels contribute to or deconstruct conventional wisdom about key topics from identity formation to awareness of world issues, while also providing a springboard in secondary and college classrooms for critical discussion of these novels. Uncloaking many of the issues that have been essentially invisible in discussions of YA literature, these essays can then guide the design of curriculum through which adolescent readers hone the necessary skills to unpack the ideologies embedded in YA narratives. The annotated bibliography provides supplementary articles and books germane to all the issues discussed. Closing "End Points" highlight and reinforce cross-cutting themes throughout the book and tie the essays together.

Literary sidekicks like Dr. Watson and Robin the Boy Wonder have not been the singular subject of a significant critical study—until now. Using young adult literature (YA) to study the sidekick reveals new and exciting ways to understand these kinds of characters and this kind of literature. YA has embraced the sidekick, recognizing the way the character reflects the importance of growth and finding one’s place in the world. The nature of many YA texts allows sidekicks to grow beyond literary or historical origins. This includes letting sidekicks “evolve” over the course of multiple texts, using parallel novels to add complexity to a sidekick’s characterization, and telling a story from the sidekick’s perspective, paradoxically making the sidekick the hero. A singularly focused and prolonged study helps to establish sidekick scholarship as a burgeoning field in and of itself.