A DYSTOPIA SOCIETY
COMMON CHARACTERISTICS
o An undesirable, horrifying, or dark vision of society
o Dehumanization and an oppressive environment or government
o Questioning or criticism of society
o Warning to readers about our own society
o Paranoia and suspicion which creates ambiguity about good and evil
o An attempt to achieve a utopian society which goes awry
o An individual rebellion or resistance movement which reacts against the dystopian power structure
o Questioning of technology, science, or an overly rational approach to solving problems of humanity
o Extreme interpretation of laws
o Setting is usually a dark vision of the future, but sometimes the setting is ambiguous or suggestive of an archaic society with barbaric practices and traditions
TYPES OF DYSTOPIAN CONTROLS
Most dystopian literature present a world in which oppressive social control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through one or more of the following types of controls:
· Corporate control: One or more large corporations control society through products, advertising, and/or the media. Examples include Minority Report and Running Man.
· Bureaucratic control: Society is controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through a tangle of red tape, relentless regulations, and incompetent government officials. Examples in film include Brazil.
· Technological control: Society is controlled by technology—through computers, robots, and/or scientific means. Examples include The Matrix, The Terminator, and I, Robot.
· Philosophical/religious control: Society is controlled by philosophical or religious ideology often enforced through a dictatorship or theocratic government.
WHAT MAKES A NOVEL DYSTOPIAN?
There are a number of general characteristics that can help classify a story as dystopian. These include:
Backstory: Dystopias are often part of a fictional universe, therefore a back story of how this world came to be or how it evolved (or de-volved) from our current world is necessary. The back story explains how the shift in control came to occur, with the end result being changed social norms or a government now run by corporations, totalitarian dictatorships or bureaucracies.
Hero: There are a few different types of hero/protagonist that can occur in dystopian stories. One is the protagonist who intuitively feels something is wrong with society and sets out to change it, believing that it is possible to overthrow the dictatorship, or merely escape from the misery. Often the protagonist's opinion varies significantly from those around him, leading to clashes and linking back to the question asked earlier regarding perception of dystopias.
Another common form of protagonist is the high-standing, accepted hero, who is part of the Utopian perception of the dystopia, but eventually discovers or comes to understand how wrong society has become and either attempts to change it or destroy it.
The dystopian hero helps the audience recognizes the negative aspects of the dystopian world through his or her perspective.
Conflict: Often, the hero meets a person who represents the dystopia, possibly the leader of the society. In the conflict, or the hero meets and is sometimes helped by a group of people who are also trying to escape or destroy the dystopia. Sometimes they are people who were once part of the dystopia, but were exiled or have escaped, or they have created their own society within the dystopia.
Society: A dystopian society imposes severe social restrictions on community members. Social class is strictly defined and enforced and the intellectuals are repressed. There is a total absence of social groups other than the “state” and independent religion is notable by its absence. There is often hostility towards the family and motherhood in particular.
Climax: In dystopian literature, the story is often unresolved. Often the dystopia is not brought down. The hero may make their individual stand (or with the group discussed above) and often fails, but gives hope to others in the dystopia. Sometimes this climax is the hero's escape from the dystopia. Other times the hero fails to achieve anything and the dystopia continues as before.
SETTINGS: Dystopian depictions are always imaginary. The very purpose of a dystopia is to discuss, not depict contemporary society or at least contemporary mankind in general. Dystopian depictions may borrow features from reality, but the purpose is to debate, criticize, or explore possibilities and probabilities.
Dystopia is not really about tomorrow, but rather about today or sometimes yesterday. Nevertheless, dystopian stories take place in the future in most cases.
THEMES: The leitmotif of dystopias has always been oppression and rebellion. The oppressors are usually more or less faceless; the oppressors are almost always much more powerful than the rebels. Consequently, dystopian tales often become studies in survival.
As the citizens of dystopian societies often live in fear, they become paranoid and egoistical, almost like hunted animals. Dystopian citizens experience a profound feeling of being monitored, shadowed, chased, betrayed or manipulated. The factors that trigger this paranoia may be either very evident and explicit or more nuanced and implicit. As a result of this fearful atmosphere, dystopian heroes become dehumanized.
The dehumanization of society may also be connected to the benefits and hazards of technological progress. In Dystopia, the borderline of humanity is often blurred and the very concept of humanity distorted.
AESTHETICS: Dystopian stories frequently take place in landscapes which diminish people, like large cities with mastodontic architecture or vast wastelands devastated by war and pollution. Dystopian societies are usually, but far from always, battered and worn-out. They may be colorless or kaleidoscopic, but always visually obtrusive.
For uncertain reasons, dystopian movies often use film noir features like dim rooms, rain wet asphalt, disturbing contrasts, symbolic shadows etc. Much of the action takes place during night in many dystopian stories. Possibly, this reflects the thematic relationship between dystopian fiction and film noir.
Generally speaking, the environment plays an active role in dystopian depictions. The environment is not only a fancy background, but emphasizes the message. A prominent example is Blade Runner where there can be no doubt that the USA has become completely commercialized and the world is in a state of terminal decay. Dystopian characters are isolated from the natural world, often being conditioned to fear or reject it.
Note: leitmotif means a reoccurring theme associated with a person, idea or situation.
mastodontic means extremely large
noir means a genre of crime film or fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity
o An undesirable, horrifying, or dark vision of society
o Dehumanization and an oppressive environment or government
o Questioning or criticism of society
o Warning to readers about our own society
o Paranoia and suspicion which creates ambiguity about good and evil
o An attempt to achieve a utopian society which goes awry
o An individual rebellion or resistance movement which reacts against the dystopian power structure
o Questioning of technology, science, or an overly rational approach to solving problems of humanity
o Extreme interpretation of laws
o Setting is usually a dark vision of the future, but sometimes the setting is ambiguous or suggestive of an archaic society with barbaric practices and traditions
TYPES OF DYSTOPIAN CONTROLS
Most dystopian literature present a world in which oppressive social control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through one or more of the following types of controls:
· Corporate control: One or more large corporations control society through products, advertising, and/or the media. Examples include Minority Report and Running Man.
· Bureaucratic control: Society is controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through a tangle of red tape, relentless regulations, and incompetent government officials. Examples in film include Brazil.
· Technological control: Society is controlled by technology—through computers, robots, and/or scientific means. Examples include The Matrix, The Terminator, and I, Robot.
· Philosophical/religious control: Society is controlled by philosophical or religious ideology often enforced through a dictatorship or theocratic government.
WHAT MAKES A NOVEL DYSTOPIAN?
There are a number of general characteristics that can help classify a story as dystopian. These include:
Backstory: Dystopias are often part of a fictional universe, therefore a back story of how this world came to be or how it evolved (or de-volved) from our current world is necessary. The back story explains how the shift in control came to occur, with the end result being changed social norms or a government now run by corporations, totalitarian dictatorships or bureaucracies.
Hero: There are a few different types of hero/protagonist that can occur in dystopian stories. One is the protagonist who intuitively feels something is wrong with society and sets out to change it, believing that it is possible to overthrow the dictatorship, or merely escape from the misery. Often the protagonist's opinion varies significantly from those around him, leading to clashes and linking back to the question asked earlier regarding perception of dystopias.
Another common form of protagonist is the high-standing, accepted hero, who is part of the Utopian perception of the dystopia, but eventually discovers or comes to understand how wrong society has become and either attempts to change it or destroy it.
The dystopian hero helps the audience recognizes the negative aspects of the dystopian world through his or her perspective.
Conflict: Often, the hero meets a person who represents the dystopia, possibly the leader of the society. In the conflict, or the hero meets and is sometimes helped by a group of people who are also trying to escape or destroy the dystopia. Sometimes they are people who were once part of the dystopia, but were exiled or have escaped, or they have created their own society within the dystopia.
Society: A dystopian society imposes severe social restrictions on community members. Social class is strictly defined and enforced and the intellectuals are repressed. There is a total absence of social groups other than the “state” and independent religion is notable by its absence. There is often hostility towards the family and motherhood in particular.
Climax: In dystopian literature, the story is often unresolved. Often the dystopia is not brought down. The hero may make their individual stand (or with the group discussed above) and often fails, but gives hope to others in the dystopia. Sometimes this climax is the hero's escape from the dystopia. Other times the hero fails to achieve anything and the dystopia continues as before.
SETTINGS: Dystopian depictions are always imaginary. The very purpose of a dystopia is to discuss, not depict contemporary society or at least contemporary mankind in general. Dystopian depictions may borrow features from reality, but the purpose is to debate, criticize, or explore possibilities and probabilities.
Dystopia is not really about tomorrow, but rather about today or sometimes yesterday. Nevertheless, dystopian stories take place in the future in most cases.
THEMES: The leitmotif of dystopias has always been oppression and rebellion. The oppressors are usually more or less faceless; the oppressors are almost always much more powerful than the rebels. Consequently, dystopian tales often become studies in survival.
As the citizens of dystopian societies often live in fear, they become paranoid and egoistical, almost like hunted animals. Dystopian citizens experience a profound feeling of being monitored, shadowed, chased, betrayed or manipulated. The factors that trigger this paranoia may be either very evident and explicit or more nuanced and implicit. As a result of this fearful atmosphere, dystopian heroes become dehumanized.
The dehumanization of society may also be connected to the benefits and hazards of technological progress. In Dystopia, the borderline of humanity is often blurred and the very concept of humanity distorted.
AESTHETICS: Dystopian stories frequently take place in landscapes which diminish people, like large cities with mastodontic architecture or vast wastelands devastated by war and pollution. Dystopian societies are usually, but far from always, battered and worn-out. They may be colorless or kaleidoscopic, but always visually obtrusive.
For uncertain reasons, dystopian movies often use film noir features like dim rooms, rain wet asphalt, disturbing contrasts, symbolic shadows etc. Much of the action takes place during night in many dystopian stories. Possibly, this reflects the thematic relationship between dystopian fiction and film noir.
Generally speaking, the environment plays an active role in dystopian depictions. The environment is not only a fancy background, but emphasizes the message. A prominent example is Blade Runner where there can be no doubt that the USA has become completely commercialized and the world is in a state of terminal decay. Dystopian characters are isolated from the natural world, often being conditioned to fear or reject it.
Note: leitmotif means a reoccurring theme associated with a person, idea or situation.
mastodontic means extremely large
noir means a genre of crime film or fiction characterized by cynicism, fatalism, and moral ambiguity