Just World: an exploration of/into contemporary inequality through writing a Young Adult vampire novel

Abstract

There are two components to this thesis. The first is an original young adult (YA) vampire novel, Just World, which aims to reflect on and engage with contemporary anxieties surrounding social and economic inequality. The novel follows seventeen-year-old ‘future leader’ Chloe Hindmarsh. She has grown up in a world in which vampires and humans coexist peacefully thanks to a system Chloe has always considered to be just and fair. However, when she discovers the true nature behind the system, she must risk her future to try and change things before it’s too late. The novel merges YA vampire fiction with political / dystopian YA fiction, with its stronger focus on young people and political activism.

The second component of the thesis is a self -reflective critical commentary, divided into three sections. Section One contextualises the novel, looking at structural and individual attitudes to inequality through an exploration of psychological, economical, and sociological factors. Section Two sets Just World within the context of vampire literature focussing on coexistence; and YA political and dystopian literature with a focus on political involvement and activism. Section Three is a self-reflective commentary exploring creative difficulties, developments, and decisions in relation to the development of the novel, with a key focus on worldbuilding and character creation. Both novel and commentary make an original contribution to knowledge, and both could be useful to literature and creative writing scholars and students as an exploration of the creative writer’s processes.

Date of Award	23 Jan 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Northumbria University
Supervisor	Fiona Shaw (Supervisor) & Melanie Waters (Supervisor)