Cottagecore as Seen in a Twenty-Year-Old YA Sci-Fi Series

I’ve been a big fan of science fiction since I was a child learning to read. When it comes to science fiction, one thing that people often ask is, “Does it predict the future?” I would personally argue that it’s not a simple yes or no answer, and I was thinking about this when reading about cottagecore recently. 

Ultimately like any genre the writer of science fiction has one major goal, which is to tell an entertaining story. Some of the great science fiction writers such as Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov have also worked as scientists or scholars in their own right; Clarke proposed using a satellite communication system back in the 1940s and was an active scuba diver and underwater explorer, while Asimov was a professor in biochemistry. There have been other writers who have worked in the science fiction genre that barely even went to college; Ray Bradbury never went to college due to the cost, and Harlan Ellison got kicked out after punching a teacher (Ellison was known for being outspoken and temperamental to say the least). Sometimes the writers try to predict the future, following trends in science or technology and attempting to make an educated guess about the future. Occasionally they get it at least somewhat right. However, this is not ultimately a requirement. 

If nothing else I feel that science fiction can serve as an inspiration for people to create the future in their own way. Many people who read or otherwise consume science fiction go, “Wow! I want to create something like that!” And some of those children grow up to major in science or engineering, and then go to work for organizations such as Microsoft, NASA, or Boeing. In fact a couple of years back my family and I ended up staying at the home of my mother’s friend for Christmas, whose husband worked at Microsoft. Throughout the house there was science fiction paraphernalia, ranging from books to DVDs to board games.

Anyway, back to cottagecore. For the uninitiated, cottagecore is a trend if not outright subculture that has gained momentum since the pandemic situation. It’s inspired by a romanticized view of the old Western world as depicted in books such as “Anna of Green Gables” and “The Secret Garden.” It romanticizes houses that look like something out of the Shire, billowy dresses, and decorations that come from before the time of the practitioners’ grandparents. 

When reading about this new subculture I was suddenly reminded of a book series titled “The Remnants.” It was actually written by a woman named K.A. Applegate (a.k.a. Katherine Applegate), who is perhaps most famous for having created the hit “Animorphs” series, along with the more recent Newbery winning book “The One and Only Ivan.” Anyway, “The Remnants” was a book series that came out from 2001 and 2003 and begins in the then future year of 2011. A giant asteroid is about to hurtle towards Earth, and will certainly destroy all humankind. In a desperate attempt to save humanity in some form, several dozen people are chosen and taken aboard a shuttle, then put into experimental deep hibernation. Eventually they wake up in a new world hundreds of years in the future, which is where the craziness truly begins.

One of the main characters was a girl named Violet Blake, also called Miss Blake (her birth name is actually Dallas, but she doesn’t use it much to her mother’s chagrin). She’s part of a subculture known as “the Janes,” who are inspired by Jane Austen and her time period. As the world gets more and more digital, the Janes tire of the increase and in-your-faceness of technology. The Janes are more interested in the arts and literature (mostly classical), dress in an old-fashioned style, and love to use quills and perhaps typewriters. 

I’m not sure if K.A. Applegate actually tried to predict the future but when reading about cottagecore I couldn’t help but remember this book series and the character of Violet. Cottagecore seems to have a lot in common with the Janes of this barely remembered YA science fiction series from twenty years ago. 

Or perhaps it’s also the fact that nostalgia is cyclical. Before the rise of cottagecore there was a rise in vinyl record sales, even with the increase in streaming and downloading. Back in the 1970s, movies and TV about the 1950s such as “American Graffiti,” “Grease,” and “Happy Days” were all the rage. No matter how technological advanced society becomes, for better or for worse, people will pine for “the good old days.” They may ignore the negative parts of certain time periods, but will still find comfort in aspects of a previous world. So perhaps, whether or not K.A. Applegate actually tried to predict it, a subculture akin to either the Janes or cottagecore was bound to happen with the rise of digital technology.