Teaching dystopian literature to Secondary Schools' Students : based on Lois Lowry's "The Giver" (1993)

The present dissertation seeks to demonstrate the interest of including dystopian literature within the ESL (English as a Second Language) class. It addresses researchers in literature and in didactic but also teachers in secondary schools willing to know more on the topic. This essay consequently merges both literature and didactic fields. In order to support the idea that having dystopian literature within the ESL class is relevant both for the teacher and his/her learners, the first chapter gives a detailed definition of the genre and its evolution through time. The second chapter gives a thorough analysis of Lois Lowry's YA (Young Adult) dystopian novel "The Giver" (1993). The third chapter shows how dystopias could engage adolescents politically. The fourth chapter details the didactic and pedagogical advantages to include literature in the language class. Finally, the last chapter provides one with a concrete example of teaching sequence on dystopian literature and based on Lois Lowry's "The Giver" (1993).