Dystopian visions of global capitalism : Philip Reeve\u27s Mortal Engines and M. T. Anderson\u27s Feed

Abstract

This article examines Philip Reeve&rsquo;s novel for children, Mortal Engines, and M.T. Anderson&rsquo;s young adult novel, Feed, by assessing these dystopias as prototypical texts of what Ulrich Beck calls risk society. Through their visions of a fictional future, the two narratives explore the hazards created by contemporary techno-economic progress, predatory global politics and capitalist excesses of consumption. They implicitly pose the question: &ldquo;In the absence of a happy ending for western civilisation, what kind of children can survive in dystopia?&rdquo;<br /