| I love dystopian literature. What is a dystopia? | | | | while "Brave New World" is the epitome of an |
| According to the dictionary definition, dystopia is: | | | | anti-left wing book. |
| 1) An imaginary place or state in which the | | | | "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury actually bashes |
| condition of life is extremely bad, as from | | | | TV and what comes to be known as "the MTV |
| deprivation, oppression, or terror. | | | | effect" decades before MTV was around. The |
| 2) A work describing such a place or state | | | | destruction of intelligence and resistance is caused |
| When most people think of this term, they think | | | | by the outlawing of literature, and the |
| of science fiction. While it is true that the science | | | | replacement of books by TV causes this terrible |
| fiction genre is a natural place for dystopian | | | | society where free thought is destroyed at all |
| themes to appear, not every screwed up society | | | | costs. |
| has to come from sci-fi books. "Lord of the Flies" | | | | Dystopian novels are most often associated with |
| is a great example of a dystopian novel that is | | | | science fiction for this reason, as a futuristic world |
| not science fiction. | | | | is easier to paint than one that currently exists. |
| These works tend to be intended by their | | | | Another genre that tends to blend in with |
| authors as warnings about evil or potential evil | | | | dystopia is the post-apocalyptic genre, as the two |
| they see in society. This evil can come in many | | | | naturally go hand in hand since it's hard to imagine |
| different forms. "The Handmaid's Tale" is a | | | | a great government rising out of nuclear ashes. |
| warning against the rights of women being | | | | Dystopian novels will remain popular for a long |
| destroyed due to religion and "biological necessity." | | | | time to come, as the worlds that they paint are |
| "1984" is the epitome of an anti-right wing book | | | | often as much a character as any human being. |