Do you mean how dystopians often go in first person narrative? I admit to only reading The Hunger Games series, so I don't know if other dystopian stories went with that point of view. I'm aware though stories in third person point of view can fall in that trap too. In either case, I can understand if you feel that way as a dystopian society you have different opportunities to showcase how others are dealing with this and if you focus too much on one person you're missing on some world-building.
I can't speak for Bardothren, but I assume he means that the focus is more on the protagonist than on the world at large. It's okay for stories to mainly be told from one person's point of view (whether told in first- or third-person POV), but it often seems like these stories forgo world-building in favour of talking about the protagonist. When you have what could be a really fascinating setting that you want to know more about, that can feel frustrating.
Yay, V for Vendetta! In all seriousness, though, interesting you mentioned dystopias for the older crowd. I would think it all comes to teens and adults having different tastes. I was looking back at the comments my livejournal friend did on dystopias and one thing she mentioned is how hard it is to find a YA without romance as a big focus.
I really, really enjoyed V for Vendetta. Maybe someday I'll actually read the graphic novel.
Just a shame the graphic novel doesn't have Hugo Weaving's sexy voice.
Honestly, with the current dystopian trend in YA novels these days, I think the difference is more due to laziness on the writers' behalf. People don't put as much effort into media for the younger crowd because it's assumed quality doesn't matter as much to them. Plus when a genre becomes popular, all that matters is jumping on the bandwagon as soon as possible. Don't get me wrong - you'll still see lots of lazy storytelling aimed at older crowds (hello, portrayal of women in video games!), but as much as I love YA fiction, the bar seems to be a lot lower for it. I know that's a depressing thought, but it's the impression I've been getting from what I've heard and read.
Have you read, 1984? That's one of the only books that I had to read for school, and enjoyed.
I like the adult versions because it feels like the societies are much more fleshed out and possible. YA dystopian novels focus a bit too much on the main character and love interest, and not enough on how the society manipulates and controls to achieve and maintain its power.
I'm actually not entirely sure if I've read
1984, though I've always meant to! It's a shame you didn't read any other books for school that you enjoyed, though. D:
That's definitely one annoying part of YA dystopians. The writers focus on the main character and their love interest to make them more relatable, sacrificing fleshing out the setting in the process. Unfortunately, because so little attention is payed to them, these settings really can't stand up to much scrutiny. As someone who loves a cool dystopian setting, I think that sucks.
~Psychic