Dystopian Literature

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Dystopian literature is a genre of fictional writing used to explore social and political structures  in ‘a dark, nightmare world.' Dystopias present a futuristic, imagined world full of  technological, moral and oppressive social control and the illusion of a perfect moral society. Moreover, dystopias make a strong criticism about a current trend, political system, or social norm.




The main elements which appear in a dystopian literary work are:
  • Propaganda: it is used to control society.
  • Restrictions: information, individualism and independent thought, as well as freedom are restricted or even non-existent.
  • Characters (world’s citizens): they are pressured by a continuous surveillance which provoke on them a strong fear of the outside world. Also, they live in a dehumanized state, where the natural world is banished and distrusted.
  • Society: society is depicted as an illusion of an ideal utopian world.

Within dystopian literature the reader can find different types of ‘dystopian controls’:
  • Corporate control: society is controlled by large corporations through advertising or the media.
  • Bureaucratic control: society is controlled by an irrational bureaucracy by means of incompetent governments, unceasing regulations, or a mess of paperwork.
  • Technological control: society is controlled by technology through computers, scientific means, or robots.
  • Philosophical or religious control: society is controlled by religious and/or philosophical ideologies, which are usually imposed by a dictatorship or theocratic government.




Finally, the main character of a dystopian literary work often feels captured and is constantly struggling to escape. The protagonist is always questioning about the existence of social and political systems; this reconsideration provokes on him/her a terrible feeling of fear regarding the society in which he/she is living. In addition, the main character helps the audience to identify the negative aspects of the dystopian world by means of his/her point of view.

Comentarios

  1. Andrea Sánchez23 de mayo de 2019 a las 4:05

    Wow! Amazing information!! Can you name another dystopic work apart from The Hunger Games and Divergents?

    xx thanks for the information

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    1. Andrea San José23 de mayo de 2019 a las 4:13

      Thank you so much!!!! I'm glad you liked it. Take a look at "The Handmaid's Tale". It's an incredible story that also belongs to dystopian literature.

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