What is a dystopia?
Wikipedia says:
"Dystopia is defined as a society characterized by poverty, squalor, or oppression. Most authors of dystopian fiction explore at least one reason why things are that way. Dystopias usually extrapolate elements of contemporary society and are read by many as political warnings. Many purported utopias reveal a dystopian character by suppressing justice, freedom and happiness." -Wikipedia: Utopian and dystopian fiction
what does this mean?
Dystopian fiction usually shows a "nightmare" society--in other words, the author's idea of a society that would be awful to live in. In many cases, the society is our own (or the author's own) but in the future, so dystopian fiction can often be seen as a warning about certain things in current society.
Dystopia is the opposite of utopia. A utopian society would be an ideal or perfect one. A lot of utopian fiction is actually satire; it shows a society that seems like a utopia on the surface but darker elements may be hiding underneath. Often, the author is sending a message and wants the audience to question how perfect the "utopian" society really is.
Dystopia is the opposite of utopia. A utopian society would be an ideal or perfect one. A lot of utopian fiction is actually satire; it shows a society that seems like a utopia on the surface but darker elements may be hiding underneath. Often, the author is sending a message and wants the audience to question how perfect the "utopian" society really is.
what's interesting about it?
Dystopian fiction works on a metaphorical level. That means there's a message hidden underneath about our own world that the author wants us to find and to think about. For example, a lot of the dystopian fiction being created right now deals with current problems or threats like censorship, government control, loss of privacy, the dangers of new technology, and destruction to our planet. The author wants to warn us about these problems and push us to think of solutions before it's too late. Because of this, dystopian fiction gets more interesting as you think about it more and discover more of the author's hidden message.