Nerdfighters, "Paper Towns," and heterotopia

Abstract

Socially and politically controlled teenagers find emancipatory spaces in young adult (YA) literature, spaces where institutions can be challenged and individuals can gain agency and empowerment. Drawing on Foucault's theory of heterotopia, I examine the literary spaces in John Green's YA novel Paper Towns and examine how Green's online social networking community Nerdfighters shares an ideological common ground with the novel.