Discussion question

[rolanni]

Some While Back, I read an interview, it may have been, with an author who writes adult post-apocalyptic SF and also YA post-apocalyptic SF.

The single comment that stuck with me from this interview was that the author worked to make sure the YA work had a happy ending, because young readers deserved hope.

The implicit statement -- I don't remember at this remove if it was explicit -- being that adult readers don't deserve a happy ending.

Discuss.

Comments

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Here's a quote from the first post...

"I mostly won’t write an upbeat or hopeful story for adults, because we so clearly don’t deserve it, but for young people, who haven’t yet started screwing things up, I wanted to at least provide the possibility of something better. A window into a better future, so to speak." That's pretty explicit that adult readers don't deserve a happy ending.

Which makes me wonder what he thinks a story is for? Polemical beatings? Why would people read that?

[keristor.livejournal.com]

I agree. Adults "don't deserve" a happy ending? Perhaps not (would any of us really want to get what we 'deserve', the bad as well as the good?) but as you say why would anyone buy the book? I dunno, some people do seem to like movies and books where Everyone Dies, but as far as I'm concerned if I want to get depressed I can just read or watch the news, fiction is supposed to make me less suicidal not more.

[eseme]

I'd agree. Paolo Bacigalupi definitely has a very narrow view of adults.

Me, I read for fun...