What is a dystopian novel?
A dystopia (from Ancient Greek: δυσ-: bad-, ill- and Ancient Greek: τόπος: place, landscape) (alternatively, cacotopia, or anti-utopia) is, in literature, an often futuristic society that has degraded into a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian. Dystopian literature has underlying cautionary tones, warning society that if we continue to live how we do, this will be the consequence. A dystopia, thus, is regarded as a sort of negative utopia and is often characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian form of government. Dystopias usually feature different kinds of repressive social control systems, a lack or total absence of individual freedoms and expressions and constant states of warfare or violence. Dystopias often explore the concept of technology going "too far" and how humans individually and en masse use technology. A dystopian society is also often characterized by mass poverty for most of its inhabitants and a large military-like police force. Examples of dystopias are: Brave New World (Alduous Huxley) Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury) The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Robert Heinlein) Neuromancer (William Gibson) The Long Walk (Stephen King / Richard Bachman)
What is a dystopian novel?
A. A story that uses fictional characters, often but not always in the form of animals, to describe another topic through a form of resemblance. B. A rhetorical novel in which the author presents a worst-case scenario of society, with the implicit suggestion to prevent such an image from becoming reality. C. A novel that imagines an alternate reality exactly like our own with typically only one or two differences. D. A rhetorical novel in which the author presents an ideal society, with the implicit message being that people should try to organize their own society in a similar way.
Can a dystopian novel have magic?
Hi, Y!A users. I want to know if a novel with dystopian setting can have magic. I don't mean minor magic were only one character can use it. I mean a novel in which 13 (main) characters have magic powers and the whole novel is focused on them trying to find out about their roots so as to avoid imminent danger in their future (or something like that). Also, the dystopian theme is heavily made clear for about two thirds of the book.
What is a dystopian novel?
The term “dystopian” emerges from the word “Utopian”, broadly meaning perfect, or flawless adopted into common terminology from Thomas More’s novel Utopia published around 1516, set in an imaginary town displaying a socio-political satire. The work “dystopian” in contrast to that alludes to something that is not an Utopia, is not perfect or is so drastically rigid that it’s like life in an autocracy, or so loosely held together that it’s almost falling apart.A dystopian theme effectively deals with the binary of existence of free will and the oppression faced by the cruel government that will go to any lengths to hold power over everything that it has accumulated (think Star Wars series). This type of setting works generally with the idea that the ordinary life that we live, with our beliefs and our political standpoints, all have been destroyed either due to a war, or the power shifting into the hands of conspirators who swear to keep it within themselves, producing only an illusion of free will (lol as if that exists now even?) One of the most famous, and I mean The Most famous book under this genre, which basically became a landmark was George Orwell’s 1984, and it’s witty introduction into our ordinary life the concept of “The Big Brother”. I will not give away anything, rather anything I mention here will fail to live up to the hype that this book feeds off, so all I can tell is that the setting is way into the future, when? where? You can’t know until you read it, and at hind sight the life of the citizens may seem methodical and well planned, productive until it begins to get darker.Other really famous reads are Aldus Huxley’s Brave new World; The Hunger games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, which is mostly for young adults but if you’re not a very avid reader this would make for an easier and more entertaining one. If you’re looking for something more political, post war kind then The Man on the High Castle by Philip K. Dick is your thing; and then there is The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, giving a feminist edge to this genre. There are way more books Search results for "dystopian" (showing 1-20 of 791 books) << you can search here than these from the top of my head.
Why is 1984 an example of a dystopian novel?
A dystopian novel is one that takes place in a futuristic society where basically everything is terrible. Sometimes, like in 1984, people don't realize or don't want to think about how the society is really not as wonderful as it pretends to be- note the brainwashing of Oceania's citizens, how "thoughtcrime" is the worst offense there is. The government lies to everybody, rewriting records to make it look as if they were right all along and everything is going great. Free will is either nonexistent or useless, and the general quality of life is down. What stands out most about 1984 among dystopian novels is the totalitarianism, where the government has everybody under its thumb.
What is the best dystopian novel of all time?
1984 by George Orwell.The totalitarian society in the novel, described by Orwell in chilling detail, is as dystopian as it gets in the real world.He invented some new words which he mentions in the novel with great purport, and are in wide use till today, with deep import. Doublespeak, thoughtcrime, and the ever present Big Brother.Any website for quotes would contain a treasure trove of his words. Ring true quite loud till today! Check some out at:http://mobile.brainyquote.com/qu...Now, brace for the impact.10 George Orwell quotes that Predicted Life in 2015 America:http://theantimedia.org/10-georg...To fully see the impact of George Orwell on the collective psyche of humanity, just type the word 'Orwellian' in Google News and check what you get. So scarily relevant till today!Sample these news items as on Oct 6th, 2015.http://edition.cnn.com/2015/10/0...This 'technocrat' contender for the job of the President of the United States, the founder of the anti-virus company McAfee, refers to Orwell here:http://www.digitaltrends.com/opi...Surveillance of prisoners - Orwell style:http://m.thestar.com/#/article/n...A weapon in the political, diplomatic and ideological battles:http://www.counterpunch.org/2015...Orwellian doomsday scenarios and nuclear holocausts: http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/wes...Even the freaking food you eat is not exempt from the Orwellian nightmare:http://www.alternet.org/food/gmo...You could find a hundred such news items referring to Orwell any week of the year. Seriously, can that be said of any other author of dystopian novels?
What is dystopian fiction?
It can be a decayed or ravaged earth where everything is different than it is now. It's set in the future. The government & laws might be non-existent or very different than what we have now; and by different, I mean worse. It's really about the degradation of earth or society. For instance, in All These Things I've Done by Garbiell Zevin, it's set 2083 where chocolate is illegal, no more new clothes are being produced (they have to wear old clothes from - gasp! - the early 21st century. Crime is at an all-time high. THe laws are different and they can lock you up and tag you before you even go to court. Corruption is high. Books are no longer printed and paper is no longer a commodity. If you want to buy stuff, you need a voucher and it's very limited in how much you can buy. In The Road by Cormac McCarthy, the earth is ravaged and bare. There's no food. People have started cannibalizing each other. There are gangs that go around looking for humans to save for later so they can eat. The winters are extremely cold. There is no government or law and it's pretty much every man for themselves. For TV, think of shows like The Walking Dead. That's an apocalyptic earth and is a dystopian society. There is no more law and the government, well, they don't even know if it's still in tact. Society has degraded and in the future the land might follow suit. I've been reading a lot of dystopian lately. Many dystopian are sci-fi, but not all. For example, The Road is considered Literary Fiction, not Sci-fi. Some others you might be interested in reading: The Always War (this is pretty short and is for young readers aged 9-12). (sci-fi, dystopian) Ready Player One - my favorite I've read this year. (sci-fi dystopian) Shatter Me (fantasy, dystopian) Robopocalypse (it's sci-fi set in a dystopian society) I've read all these books and they're pretty good.