Lesley Nneka Arimah: The Outcast as Central Character: How Characters Who Break the Rules Become a Prism Into Your World (January 2018)

“The term ‘outcast’ as deployed here can take many forms,” says Lesley Nneka Arimah, “from characters excluded for minor social flubs to characters fighting to bring down entire systems.” Drawing upon speculative fiction by Diane Cook, Emily St. John Mandel, and others, Arimah explores how the outcast can serve as a powerful figure in rendering a full spectrum of fictional worlds.