Futures Frequency: Characteristics of Dystopia and Utopia
“Utopias and dystopias can exist side by side, even in the same moment. Which one you’re in depends entirely on your point of view.”
– Naomi Alderman –
Utopia and dystopia are opposites, and yet they are sometimes closely related. Utopian writing dates back to the 1500s, and the very first visions of the forthcoming Golden Age were written even earlier by ancient Greeks. Dystopian writing emerged much later, in the 1890s. Today dystopias are popular, which reflects the present state of the world.
The Bible with its stories provides examples of utopias and dystopias: the Paradise in the Old Testament is a utopia lost. The story about Noah’s Flood and Ark is both a dystopia based on an environmental catastrophe and a punishment from God and a utopia of mankind being able to start over, free of sin.
Dystopia as a genre:
– Dystopias are commonly satirical critiques and allegories, ie. stories that represent and often criticize political, social or moral qualities of the world we live in.
– Exploring the dangerous effects of government oppression, technological control, environmental destruction or loss of individualism, for instance, dystopias serve as cautionary tales about how terribly wrong things could go. Dystopias may challenge readers to rethink the current state of affairs in their world, and even inspire them to act on them.
– In the previous century, a lot of dystopias were written that have since become classics. They reflected, among other things, the way the world and its people were viewed after the horrors of World War II. Dystopian classics continue to resonate with readers year after year.
Modern dystopian fiction draws on threats such as environmental catastrophes, viruses, competitive society, totalitarianism, technology and genetic research.
Dystopian characteristics:
– Emotional appeal: injustice or visions of destruction may evoke empathy, anger or anxiety in the reader
– The emphasis on the milieu: The story takes place in the unknown future, in a time after fundamental changes. Society as we know it no longer exists. Details describe changes in nature, people, ways of living and values, to name a few.
– A hero, survivor, a rebel as the protagonist: The protagonist’s responsibility is often to rescue or save the community. The protagonist(s) are not necessarily described in a psychologically very profound way. In modern dystopias the protagonist is often a child or teen, which may also reflect the hopes placed on the younger generation of saving the world.
– Conflict and hostility: good and evil is a common dichotomy, often in black and white.
The change that has taken place in the world is central; the difficult, conflicting or unjust state of affairs the change has caused. What has caused the change, and what has it led to?
– Dramatic elements and dramatic structure in the plot are typical of dystopian fiction. Conflict and the tensions it causes are plain to see.
– Freedom is an important theme.
-Dystopia is often a story of survival or heroism.
– The end of the story has special emphasis because it may predict the future. The ending may be grim or leave a trace of hope for the reader.
– Dystopia is often commentary on social or political structures or other problems concerning the world, society or humankind.
Utopia as a genre
– Utopia creates a dream of an ideal society that is seemingly perfect but unattainable.
– Utopia may not, however, represent perfection but radical alternatives.
– Utopia allows one to criticize current society and can thus be considered a force for improvement for society.
Utopian characteristics:
– Milieu is central also in utopias. People live in the future or in the past, in a particular place. The world is better than today in one way or the other.
– Utopias are static and permanent: the dreamy and harmonious conditions do not inflict dramatic events or conflicts.
– The protagonist is frequently a lost traveler who encounters a utopian community or society.
“Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they do and live after their manner.”
– Socrates, ‘Allegory of the cave’, Plato –