The Dystopian World

• When you hear the word

dystopian, what are some ideas

that come to mind?

• What are some titles of books or

movies that you would consider

dystopian?

• Why are we attracted to the

dystopian genre?

Dystopia

• The term has been around since the 19th

century

• coined by English philosopher and

economist John Stuart Mill in 1868; but

as a genre of fiction, it really took off in

the 20th century and became very

prevalent in the years after World War II

Dystopian Society

• refers to fictional societies that are incredibly imperfect, lacking the harmonious and egalitarian qualities of life depicted in utopias

• The word utopia was first used in direct context by Sir Thomas More in his 1516 work Utopia. The word utopia resembles both the Greek words "no place", "outopos", and "good place", "eutopos".

• contains many of the same elements as utopias—such as intense measures of social control—but these elements are taken to horrific extremes, with emphasis upon their negative effects

• makes a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system

Characteristics of Society

• Propaganda is used to control the

citizens of society.

• Information, independent thought, and

freedom are restricted.

• A figurehead or concept is worshipped by

the citizens of the society.

• The natural world is banished and

distrusted.

• The society is an illusion of a perfect

utopian world.

Characteristics of Citizens

• Citizens are perceived to be under

constant surveillance.

• Citizens have a fear of the outside world.

• Citizens live in a dehumanized state.

• Citizens conform to uniform expectations.

Individuality and dissent are bad.

Dystopian Control

• Most dystopian works

present a world in which

oppressive societal

control and the illusion

of a perfect society are

maintained through one

or more of the following

types of controls…

Types of Dystopian Controls

• Corporate control: One or more large corporations control

society through products, advertising, and/or the media.

Examples include Minority Report, Running Man, and WALL-

E.

• Bureaucratic control: Society is controlled by a mindless

bureaucracy through a tangle of red tape, relentless

regulations, and sometimes incompetent government officials.

Examples in film include V for Vendetta, Brazil, The Hunger

Games, Divergent

• Technological control: Society is controlled by technology—

through computers, robots, and/or scientific means. Examples

include The Matrix, The Terminator, I am Legend, and I, Robot.

• Philosophical/religious control: Society is controlled by

philosophical or religious ideology often enforced through a

dictatorship or theocratic government. Example: The

Handmaid’s Tale

Dystopian Literature

• a subset of the larger category of anti-Utopian literature, which generally satirizes Utopian thinking

• stands out from other anti-utopian writing in that it doesn’t just say what’s wrong with utopian models of society, but offers an alternate view of social potentialities

• concerned with problems of the political and cultural context that produces them

• There is often a prescriptive element—Dystopian fictions almost always offer some kind of warning (often implicit) of what will happen should present trends continue

The Dystopian Protagonist

• often feels trapped and is struggling to

escape.

• questions the existing social and political

systems.

• believes or feels that something is terribly

wrong with the society in which he or she

lives.

• helps the audience recognizes the

negative aspects of the dystopian world

through his or her perspective.

Dystopian Themes

• mastery of nature—to the point that it becomes barren, or turns against humankind

• technological advances that enslave humans or regiment their lives; the mandatory division of people into castes or groups with specialized functions

• a collective loss of memory and history making mankind easier to manipulate psychologically and ultimately leading to dehumanization.

General conflicts addressed

in the dystopian genre:

• Environment

• Class Inequality

• Corruption/Government

• Capitalism/Social

Complacency

• Gender/Age Inequality

• Science/Technology

George Orwell’s 1984

• 1984, one of the most famous

dystopian novels, was written in 1949,

shortly after World War II and the rise

of totalitarian states on the right and

the left, such as Nazi Germany and

the Soviet Union under Stalin

• depicts Big Brother and the Thought

Police, elements of a profoundly

oppressive state bent on maintaining

absolute control over individuals

(including even their thoughts)