Dystopian fiction helps us think through what reality could be like, and shows us how people might cope with adversity. The term dystopia is defined as a society characterized by poverty, squalor or oppression and the theme is most commonly used in science fiction and speculative. Utopia and dystopia are genres of speculative fiction that explore social and political structures. Dystopia definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Dystopian definition is of, relating to, or being an imagined world or society in which people lead dehumanized, fearful lives. Dystopian fiction sometimes referred to as apocalyptic literature is the creation of an utterly horrible or degraded futuristic society that is generally headed to an irreversible oblivion, or dystopia.
Dystopia definition in the cambridge english dictionary. A place, state, or condition that is ideally perfect in respect of politics, laws, customs, and conditions. Dystopian definition of dystopian by merriamwebster. Dystopia examples and definition of dystopia literary devices. Critical essays dystopian fiction and fahrenheit 451 when examining fahrenheit 451 as a piece of dystopian fiction, a definition for the term dystopia is required dystopia is often used as an antonym of utopia, a perfect world often imagined existing in the future a dystopia, therefore, is a terrible place.
Usually the main themes of dystopian works are rebellion, oppression, revolutions, wars, overpopulation, and disasters. Dystopian societies appear in many subgenres of fiction and are often used to draw attention to society, environment. They are often metaphors for the different directions humanity can take in its choices. You might have heard the terms utopia and dystopia before, but maybe you dont know what they mean. The literature of dystopia draws on the human experience of the failure of. Liberal and conservative dystopias do battle, in proxy wars of the. Trumps speech described as dystopian lookups for dystopia spiked 2000% after trumps bleak convention speech. Dystopian literature is a genre of fictional writing used to explore social and political structures in a dark, nightmare world. Dystopia definition meaning and concepts of dystopia. Dystopias are societies in cataclysmic decline, with characters who battle environmental ruin, technological control, and government oppression. Some authors use the term to refer to existing societies, many of which are or have been totalitarian states or societies in an advanced state of collapse. In its modern definition, a dystopia can be apocalyptic, or postapocalyptic. Dystopia definition is an imagined world or society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives.
Ive been reading more dystopian fiction than ever during. Dystopian novels can challenge readers to think differently about current social and political climates, and in some instances can even inspire action. There have been real examples of dystopias in history, such as nazi germany. Dystopian societies appear in many subgenres of fiction and are often used to draw attention to society, environment, politics, economics, religion, psychology, ethics, science or technology. For example, claeys and sargent define literary dystopias as societies imagined as substantially worse than. It is usually characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian form of government, or some. A dystopia is a society characterized by a focus on that which is contrary to the authors ethos, such as mass poverty, public mistrust and suspicion, a police state or oppression. A literary analysis of the dystopian fiction of huxley and. A dystopia is a fictional society that is the opposite of utopia. Dystopian is the exact opposite it describes an imaginary society that is as dehumanizing and as. Dystopia is a genre in literature that depicts a frightening society or community. List of books and articles about dystopian literature online. Dystopian meaning in the cambridge english dictionary.
A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic. Dystopian literature is a form of speculative fiction that began as a response to utopian literature. Dystopian definition, a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding. Dystopia is a world in which everything is imperfect, and everything goes terribly wrong. Although creators of dystopian fictions usually depict world set in near future, they write about things they feared of in. Most authors of dystopian fiction explore at least one reason why things are that way, often as an analogy for similar issues in the real world. Dystopian societies appear in many subgenres of fiction and are often used to draw attention to realworld issues regarding society, environment, politics, economics, religion, psychology, ethics. Dystopia definition of dystopia by the free dictionary. The roots of the word dystopia dys and topiaare from the ancient greek for bad and place, and so we use the term to describe an unfavorable society in which to live. Dystopian literature shows us a nightmarish image about what might happen to the world in the near future. Dystopian societies are portrayed with different defining features. Both utopias and dystopias are commonly found in science fiction and other speculativefiction genres, and arguably are by definition a type of speculative fiction. A dystopia is a community or society that is undesirable or frightening.
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