First, What Is Utopian Fiction

First, what is Utopian Fiction? ENG 3U -- Summative

Utopia – The term comes from a highly satirical novel (of sorts) by Thomas More and the first version was published in England in 1516. The title itself actually comes from a combination of two Greek words and literally means “no place” (a subtle bit of humour from Thomas More). However, the term has come to mean a ‘paradise’ of some sort. More’s Utopia offered a description of an ideal society based upon notions of equality, social harmony, economic prosperity, and political stability.

More presents his story as an account told to him by another European who had traveled there, and the satirical edge is introduced by the comparisons made between ‘Utopia’ and the far less ideal social, economic, and political situation in England in the early 1500s.

Hence, utopian fiction refers to any narrative piece that is set in a truly ideal society. As such a society inherently lacks a ready basis for conflict, which is a core element in fiction that captivates the interest of the reader, relatively few such novels exist.

What is Dystopian Fiction?

·  In its most basic sense, you could say that a dystopia is the opposite of a utopia, referring to fictional societies that are incredibly imperfect, lacking the harmonious and egalitarian qualities of life depicted in utopias. However, they are not always exactly opposite, in that dystopias often contain many of the same elements as utopias—such as intense measures of social control—but these elements are taken to horrific extremes, with emphasis upon their negative effects.

·  The term has been around since the 19th century and was coined by English philosopher and economist John Stuart Mill in 1868. As a literary genre of fiction, it really took off in the 20th Century and became very prevalent in the years after World War II as a result of the rise of totalitarian states on the right and the left, such as Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union under Stalin. For example, George Orwell’s 1984, written in 1948, depicts ‘Big Brother’ and the ‘Thought Police’, elements of a profoundly oppressive state bent on maintaining absolute control over individuals (including their thoughts).

·  Other 20th Century conditions that are reflected in dystopian literature are environmental damage (the side-effects of increasing industrialization) and rapid advances in various technologies (i.e. computers, robotics, nuclear weapons, etc.).

·  Like utopian writing, there is often a prescriptive element in dystopian novels as they almost always offer some kind of warning (often implicit) of what might happen should present social, economic, or political trends continue. In fact, dystopian fiction tends to reflect the fears and anxieties of the cultural context from which it emerges.

***WARNING BEFORE READING: If you have never read a true dystopian novel before, take care!!! You cannot read it as you would an ordinary novel. If you read simply for plot and character interaction, you will be angered and upset by the horrible world you see, but may miss the author’s point. True dystopias must be read for ‘the world’ they present, not the characters, and the reader must continually have an eye towards the author’s comments on society. Let the characters ‘show you their world’; you will likely be disturbed, enraged, and perhaps even terrified, but should also come away with much deeper insights and reflections about ‘your own world’, and the future implications of current trends.

RECOMMENDED READING STRATEGIES:

NOTE: When taking written notes while you read your selection, the following will help you deepen your focus and improve your ability to recall key elements. Keeping the questions below in mind may help you stay alert for important thematic aspects of your text, above and beyond the superficial details of plot and character:

·  Who’s telling the story? Why that narrator instead of someone else?

·  What is the setting (time, place, atmosphere)? Is this important, or could the novel occur anywhere?

·  What aspects of the social order are utopian (if any) and which are dystopian?

·  Are there any ‘rebels’ in your novel who oppose society? What are they rebelling against and why?

·  What messages or main themes are emerging in the novel? How are these being conveyed?

·  At various stages of your reading, what predictions might you make about the probable outcome of the novel? What surprising twists upset your predictions?

·  What similarities or parallels are there between the fictional world of the novel and our world?

·  How ‘realistic’ is the novel? How does the presence or absence of realism help to convey the author’s message(s)?

Pay particular attention to the following elements in the dystopian society described in your text:

v  Loss of rights

v  Governance

v  Values

v  Gender issues

v  Value of human life

v  Use of education

v  Utilitarian attitudes towards humans

v  Types of controls

v  Degree of control

v  Role of technology

v  Dehumanizing factors

v  Abuse of punishment

v  Methods of controlling people

v  Family structures

v  Relationship strictures