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Dystopias: Definitions and Characteristics

Dystopias: Definitions and Characteristics. Utopia. a place, state or condition that is ideally perfect in respect of politics, laws, customs, and conditions

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Dystopias: Definitions and Characteristics

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  1. Dystopias: Definitions and Characteristics

  2. Utopia • a place, state or condition that is ideally perfect in respect of politics, laws, customs, and conditions • The word “utopia” is a combination of Greek words, and literally means “no place”; when pronounced in Latin, however, it means “good place”

  3. Dystopia • A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through control • Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst-case scenario, make a criticism about a current trend, societal norm, or political system

  4. Types of Dystopian Control

  5. Corporate Control • one or more large corporations control society through products, advertising, and/or the media • Ex. Minority Report, Running Man

  6. Bureaucratic Control • Society is controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through a tangle of red tape, relentless regulations, and incompetent government officials • Ex. Brazil

  7. Technological Control • Society is controlled by technology—through computers, robots, and/or other scientific means • Ex. The Matrix, The Terminator, and I, Robot

  8. Philosophical/Religious Control • Society is controlled by philosophical or religious ideology often enforced through a dictatorship or theocratic government • Ex. Beneath the Planet of the Apes

  9. Characteristics of a Dystopian Society • Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society • Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted • A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society • Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance • Citizens have a fear of the outside world

  10. Characteristics of a Dystopian Society, cont. • Citizens live in a dehumanized state • The natural world is banished and distrusted • Citizens conform to uniform expectations– individuality and dissent are bad • The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world

  11. The Dystopian Protagonist • Often feels trapped and is struggling to escape • Questions the existing social and political systems • Believes or feels that something is terribly wrong with the society in which he or she lives • Helps the audience recognize the negative aspects of the dystopian world through his or her perspective

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