What is a Dystopia?
By definition, a dystopia is a society "in which the conditions of life are miserable, characterized by human misery, poverty, oppression, violence, disease, and/or pollution."[1] Dystopian societies often integrate themselves within Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic and Utopian Literature. This could be due to the fact that many post-apocalyptic worlds are riddled with terrible living conditions due to the wastes world, or because with the destruction of previous technologies, establishments, and societies of these dystopian worlds, humanity finds solace in fictional and re-imagined sciences that provide new ways to live and survive. Additionally, many novels and stories that have a dystopian society show a Utopian society to contrast the low situations of the characters stuck in the violence and disease.
Examples of Dystopian Stories:
In popular culture, there has been a rise in stories that center around and debut dystopian worlds of varying origins, settings, statuses, and numerous other facts. One major example that spans a few decades and a generation or two is the Planet of The Apes Series. While not post-apocalyptic and a little mixed up due to remakes and reboots, the series shows a good version of dystopian life with its depictions of violence, a drastic disruption of human society, and oppression of the human race by the evolved apes.
Another great example, while not literary or film, is the video game The Last of Us. This game focuses on a small set of characters following a zombie apocalypse as the result of a fungal virus. From that short and simplistic synopsis, there are already obvious signs of dystopian life. The humans are forced into small camps, are at risk for infection and murder, struggle for food and water, and this is only a few years after the initial outbreak. For more info and an analysis on the Last of Us, check out Mikayla Connolly [4].
Why Focus on the Terrible?
Over the years, there had been a considerable rise of Dystopian Literature. Some attribute it to the growing fear and disorder in current society, viewing dystopian literature as a reaction and interpretation of the future humans are bringing upon themselves. This is especially true for zombie and nuclear apocalypse stories, or literature that focuses on the human driven collapse of current society. Others, however, think of it purely as fiction, enjoying it as an impossible end of a false world. This can be seen in fiction where society may be changed, but isn't over, or where the end of the world was sudden, and out of anyone's control. Dystopian Fiction is a great reflection of the views of the masses and a reaction to the dominant cultures of the world. Readers often find real world issues, politics, and ideas reflected in parallel environments or characters of these fictions [5].
For more words on the popular culture of Dystopian Fiction, check out this Ted Talk [6].
Is it Counter Culture?
As mentioned before, many current ideas and concerned of society and humanity can be found echoed in the stories of these fictions. Whether blatantly addressed, such as women's rights and respect being targeted by The Handmaid's Tale, or the issue of healthcare seen in The Maze Runner Trilogy. Dystopian fiction can act almost like an extreme prediction of what can happen in the world does not change it's ways (or at least what the writer or author thinks will happen). Even make to Animal Farm, George Orwell confronts the idea of unethical farming and food production. Dystopian fiction is a blatant response to the concerns of modern culture including health and medicine, human rights, climate change, and political climates. A perfect example of this is the rise of sales in The Handmaid's Tale, and later the Netflix adaption, shortly after the election of President Donald Trump. The cultural concern in America for the rights of woman prompted people to turn to a book where woman are treated as tools only for pleasure and breeding and have no right to personal lives or facilities. In the end, dystopia draws many of its themes, premises, and motivations from the extreme forms of many real issues and concerns of society. Much like punk and anarchic music, these books act as a call out against those with the power to prevent or change the topics of these Fictions.
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