WHAT IS A "DYSTOPIA"?


I begin this new blog series with the central aim, to analyze the characteristics of dystopian environments in literature and use that knowledge to determine how those characteristics are present in today's society.  Before delving into this topic, I must start with a definition of "dystopia" to use throughout this blog series:
"A dystopia [...] is a radically dysfunctional society in which the lives of the inhabitants are significantly impaired, damaged, or otherwise undesirable" (Seeger, 2018).
From this definition, we understand that a dystopian environment is dramatically unpleasant.  "Dystopia" was derived from another term, "utopia."  Seeger (2018) basis the difference between utopia and dystopia within a society on the "imagined social order" of its inhabitants.  Opposite from a dystopian environment, a utopian environment is one that is predicated on characteristics like human success and a perfect order of society.  The use of the word "imagined" in this definition is interesting in that it suggests ambiguity of reality for humans.  Whereas one may find their society to have utopian characteristics, another may find that the same society has dystopian characteristics. 
Extra Tidbit 1:  In today's entertainment and movie industry, I find that it is difficult to come across a specifically "utopian" movie.  Instead, to categorize the work, it is more likely that I would see either the terms "utopian/dystopian" or just "dystopian." 
Other terms are often flung around when analyzing the characteristics of utopian or dystopian environments:  "science fiction" and "post-apocalypse."  "Science fiction" is primarily categorized by the consequences of scientific or technological construction (Blackford, 2006).  Whereas utopian/dystopian ideas are focused more on the individual within society, science fiction can lend itself more easily to the ramifications of technological advancements that are either human or non-human in nature.  Many science fiction films are futuristic or based in outer-space.  One example of a science fiction movie is the 1979 science fiction horror film Alien directed by Ridley Scott.  (To see the trailer for the Alien (1979) movie, please click this link.)
Alien (1979) movie poster.  Image retrieved from www.themoviedb.org.


Like the other three terms, a "post-apocalyptic" world focuses on the consequences of some social order, innovation, or consequence.  According to Baldick (2008), "apocalyptic" suggests a "world-consuming holocaust" or the end of the world in some way.  A post-apocalypse, therefore, is focused on the devastation following an apocalypse, hence its prefix.

Extra Tidbit 2:  A large amount of apocalyptic literature has been based on religious beliefs.  Thus, it is important to understand that one version of an apocalypse that would result in the end of the world has yet to be determined more accurate than another (see McGaughy, 2017 for one version of the apocalypse according to one version of Christian beliefs and values).  
One example of a post-apocalyptic world in today's entertainment industry is the ABC television series The Walking Dead.  (To see the trailer for first season of The Walking Dead, click this link.)  This world is filled with zombies who are deemed "walkers" and who attack humans to eat their flesh when civilization falls.  A spin-off show of The Walking Dead is Fear the Walking Dead. 
ABC's television series The Walking Dead (Season One) poster.  Notice the barren environment that the poster illustrates.  Image retrieved from www.amazon.com.
Quick Summary of the 4 Terms:  Utopia fiction, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic fiction can overlap with dystopian.  However, it is important to understand that dystopian fiction is focused on an unpleasant society characterized by human discontent while utopian fiction focuses on a perfect society, science fiction focuses on the consequences of highly advanced technology or science, and post-apocalyptic fiction focuses on ramifications of the end of the world.

A Case Study 

Perhaps one of the most widely known dystopian movie is The Hunger Games (2012) directed by Gary Ross based upon a book series written by Suzanne Collins.  There are many elements that make this movie series a dystopia, specifically because of its focus on class mobility decreases in the factions outside of the Capitol, or District 1.  The standard of living is dramatically decreased outside of this district, leaving individuals outside of the first district in fear of survival.  The environments outside of the first district are also projected to be a lot darker and of low-class than the Capitol which is characterized as being typically clean and elite.  White the elite live in a sophisticated society, the other districts live oppressed and simply used for their resources.  (To see the dystopian aspects of The Hunger Games (2012) Movie, please click this link).
The Hunger Games (2012) movie poster.  Image retrieved from www.dvdsreleasedates.com.

The Popularity of Dystopian Environments

Dystopian fiction has increased in popularity in recent years.  Many researchers have focused on the characteristics of a dystopian society as the reason for its excitement by young adults, specifically its focus on resilience and rebellion in the face of oppression.  Fitting the dystopian genre, today's youth is interested in seeing a society that is worse than their current reality, in most cases (Mallan, 2017).  This results in the youth beginning to compare their own reality to the dystopian reality.  As a result, the genre is able to use an unpleasant imaginative reality to evoke tones of rebellion or revolution that is traditionally found in dystopian environments (Boose, 2018). 

The genre highlights oppression and the need to fight to get out of it.  Many young adults can compare what is occurring in the dystopian environments to the disorder and disrepair of other nations.  For example, the Ugandan genocide and the Syrian Civil War.  Moreover, poverty and unemployment in the United States can also become a perspective of a real dystopian environment, rather than a fictional one.  The distinction between classes in all nations is relevant to the perspective of a dystopia.  It depends on the imaginative reality of the individual who determines whether the reality he or she faces is a dystopia (Blackford, 2006).

Word count (excluding extra tidbits and case study section):  590 words

Works cited
"Alien (1979) ... Classic Cult Horror Science Fiction Movie Trailer HD 2.0 with Ridley Scott."  4 Feb. 2019.  Accessed on 24 Jan. 2020.  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62mKOzLXUic.
Baldick, Chris.  "Apocalyptic."  The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms, 3rd ed.  Oxford University Press.  First published 2009 [https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199208272.001.0001/acref-9780199208272-e-77?rskey=UP9x9F&result=1, accessed 24  Jan. 2020].
Blackford, Russell Kenneth. "Science Fiction". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 Nov. 2006  [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1226, accessed 24 Jan. 2020.]
Boose, Greg. “Are Dystopian Novels Here to Stay?” Publishers Weekly, vol. 265, no. 10, Mar. 2018, p. 76. 
Mallan, Kerry. “Dystopian Fiction for Young People: Instructive Tales of Resilience.” Psychoanalytic Inquiry, vol. 37, no. 1, Jan. 2017, pp. 16–24. 
McGaughy, Lane C. "God, ReTALIation, and the Apocalyptic Scenario."  Forum (0883-4970), vol. 6, no. 2, Fall 2017, pp. 107-129.
Seeger, Sean. "Dystopia and Dystopian Literature". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 May 2018  [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=19513, accessed 24 Jan. 2020.]
Szeman, I. and O'Brien, S.  "The History of Popular Culture." In Popular Culture (eds I. Szeman and S. O'Brien).  2017.
"The Hunger Games (2012 Movie) - Official Theatrical Trailer - Jennifer Lawrence & Liam Hemsworth."  14 Nov. 2011.  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfmrPu43DF8.
"The Walking Dead Trailer (First Season)."  25 Mar. 2013.  Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfAc2U20uyg.



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