What the study found
The study argues that in Leni Zumas’s Red Clocks and Sophie Mackintosh’s Blue Ticket, state control over motherhood creates resentment and division among women. It also finds that anger and anxiety can be turned into communities of fate, meaning communities formed through shared duress.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that these critical dystopias show the value of centering resistance, activism, and justice. The study suggests that community formation can be productive even under state-sanctioned cruelty targeting women’s freedom and bodily autonomy.
What the researchers tested
The article is a literary analysis of two novels: Red Clocks (2018) and Blue Ticket (2020). It examines how their dystopian states treat women’s reproductive lives and how the novels portray responses to that treatment.
What worked and what didn't
The article says the featured state in each novel either marks women as worthy or unworthy of motherhood, or else forces motherhood on them. According to the abstract, this division weakens the chance of resistance through community building, while shared anger and anxiety can also generate communities of fate.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not provide detailed close-reading evidence, chapter-level analysis, or specific limitations. The summary is limited to the claims stated in the title and abstract.
Key points
- The article compares Red Clocks and Blue Ticket as critical dystopias.
- It argues that state control of motherhood creates resentment and division among women.
- The abstract says division among women reduces the possibility of resistance through community building.
- It proposes that anger and anxiety can form communities of fate under duress.
- The authors present resistance, activism, and justice as central themes in both novels.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Dystopian novels link reproductive cruelty to divided women and community formation
- Authors:
- Katharine Schaab
- Publication date:
- 2026-03-31
- DOI:
- 10.3828/extr.2026.5
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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