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* ''[[Angelwings and Finerthings]]'' by [[Paul M. Jessup]]
* ''[[Angelwings and Finerthings]]'' by [[Paul M. Jessup]]
* ''[[Brave New World]]'' by [[Aldous Huxley]] (This could perhaps be considered a utopia, as the people in that society are certainly happy, but it is more generally regarded by critics as a dystopian [[Satire|satire]], as they actually have no choice in whether they are happy or not.)
* ''[[Brave New World]]'' by [[Aldous Huxley]] (This could perhaps be considered a utopia, as the people in that society are certainly happy, but it is more generally regarded by critics as a dystopian [[Satire|satire]], as they actually have no choice in whether they are happy or not.)
*''[[Brazil (Director's Cut)]]'', a film by Terry Gilliam
* ''[[Candide]]'' by [[Voltaire]]
* ''[[Candide]]'' by [[Voltaire]]
* ''[[The Children of Men]]'' by [[P.D. James]]
* ''[[The Children of Men]]'' by [[P.D. James]]

Revision as of 14:46, 9 November 2004

The term dystopia is often used to describe a fictional society, usually existing in a future time period, in which the condition of life is extremely bad due to deprivation, oppression, or terror. In Post-Modern social critism the same term is used to describe our current post-industrial civilization with its wide divide between rich and poor and serious environmental problems.

In most dystopian fiction, a corrupt government creates or sustains the poor quality of life, often conditioning the masses to believe the society is proper and just, even perfect. Most dystopian fiction takes place in the future but often purposely incorporates contemporary social trends taken to horrendous extremes.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term was coined in the late 19th century by John Stuart Mill, who also used Bentham's synonym, cacotopia, at the same time. Both words were created in apposition to utopia, a Greek-derived word coined in the 16th century by Sir Thomas More as the name of a fictional island. Some have claimed that Moore's name derives from ou ("no") + topos ("place"), hence meaning "nowhere." However this may be, there is no doubt that in the years following Moore, the word "utopia" came to be used not for imaginary places in the abstract but specifically for desirable ones; hence people began to assume an alternative derivation (possibly a folk etymology), from eu ("good") + topos (i.e. "good place"). So the antonyms were created; and if a utopia is a place where everything is as it should be, then a dystopia is one where everything is somehow wrong. As some writers have noted, however, the difference between a Utopia and a Dystopia can often lie in the visitor's point of view: one person's heaven can be another's hell.

Dystopias are frequently written as warnings, or as satires, showing current trends extrapolated to a nightmarish conclusion. In this, they also differ from utopias; idealistic utopias have no roots in today's society, being in some other place or time, or after some major discontinuity in history (e.g. see H.G. Wells' utopias, such as The World Set Free).

Science fiction, particularly post-apocalyptic science fiction and cyberpunk, often feature dystopias.

Common traits of dystopian fiction

The following is a list of common traits of dystopias, although it is by no means definitive. Most dystopian films or literature includes at least a few of the following:

  • a hierarchical society where divisions between the upper, middle and lower class are definitive and unbending.
  • a nation-state ruled by an upper class with few democratic ideals
  • state propaganda programs and educational systems that coerce most citizens into worshipping the state and its government, in an attempt to convince them into thinking that life under the regime is good and just
  • strict conformity among citizens and the general assumption that dissent and individuality are bad
  • a fictional state figurehead that people worship fanatically through a vast personality cult, such as 1984’s Big Brother or We‘s The Benefactor
  • a fear of the world outside the state
  • a common view of traditional life, particularly organized religion, as primitive and nonsensical
  • a penal system that lacks due process laws and often employs psychological or physical torture
  • constant surveillance by state police agencies
  • the banishment of the natural world from daily life
  • a back story of a natural disaster, war, revolution, uprising, spike in overpopulation or some other climactic event which resulted in dramatic changes to society
  • a standard of living among the lower and middle class that is generally poorer than in contemporary society
  • a protagonist who questions the society, often feeling intrinsically that something is terribly wrong
  • because dystopian literature takes place in the future, it often features technology more advanced than that of contemporary society

To have an effect on the reader, dystopian fiction typically has one other trait: familiarity. It is not enough to show people living in a society that seems unpleasant. The society must have echoes of today, of the reader's own experience. If the reader can identify the patterns or trends that would lead to the dystopia, it becomes a more involving and effective experience. Authors can use a dystopia effectively to highlight their own concerns about societal trends. George Orwell apparently wanted to title 1984 1948, because he saw this world emerging in austere postwar Europe.

There have also been a number of examples of science fiction stories in which mankind achieves a form of utopia only after a period of dystopia. An example is Star Trek, which covers the period of the 22nd through 24th centuries during which Earth has eliminated war and poverty, however not until after suffering a Third World War in the mid-21st Century in which hundreds of millions died. An episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine entitled "Past Tense" established that by 2015, numerous cities in the United States had cordoned off entire sections where homeless and unemployed citizens were incarcerated (similar to the movie Escape from New York).

Examples of dystopian literature

Examples of dystopian films

Examples of dystopia in music

  • 2112, an album by the Canadian rock band Rush, released in 1976. The title track is about a man living in a dystopian society.
  • Time (1981) by ELO features tracks that may be considered dystopian or utopian depending on your point of view.
  • The Wall by Pink Floyd and its film adaptation are considered the epitome of dystopian music.

See also

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