Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n Roll & Prejudice: Youth Culture and the Depictions of Adolescence in Classic Literature

Abstract

This thesis strives to take a closer look at depictions of youth and adolescence in classic literary works such as Pride and Prejudice and Oliver Twist, and eventually compare them to the Youth Culture movement that was born after the second world war, as well as literature that was written during that time, namely A Clockwork Orange. By singling out certain factors that were prevalent during post-war youth culture, and examining these factors in relation to the novels, this thesis will attempt to first conclude what youth meant to the novels’ characters, what their status was in society, and eventually compare it to post-war youth-culture as a whole.