Defining dystopian literature

Dystopian literature is currently a booming trend—for awhile, it was wizardry and vampires, paranormal fiction, and fantasy coupled with romance. With this growing demand, especially among young adult fiction books, many writers are gearing up to write the next best seller. Yet it’s important to fully understand what this genre is all about.

While some immediately define dystopian literature as the opposite of utopia, that is not exactly true. A utopian society is defined as one that is considered to be perfect, harmonious and ideal. A dystopian society or world often contains many of the same elements as utopias—for example, they may both shares the same measures of extreme social and political control. Yet in a dystopian society, these elements are taken to horrific extremes, causing incredibly negative, widespread effects.

Dystopian novels are considered a subset of anti-Utopian literature, which typically satirizes the idealistic utopian models of society. What sets dystopian literature apart is that it doesn’t necessarily criticize the utopian world; rather, it offers an alternate view of what can happen as a result of this societal model.

Some of the best fantasy novels are inspired by some of the worst situations in real life. Whether they have a happy or sad ending, most dystopian novels imply a type of warning as to what would happen if certain trends continue. A great example is the world provided as a setting in Victoria Foyt’s Revealing Eden (Save the Pearls Part One). Due to the deteriorating environment caused by global warming, a Great Meltdown occurs, changing everything from the amount of resources available and methods of survival to class, race and perception of beauty.

What’s incredibly interesting about these types of young adult fiction books is that they are fundamentally concerned with problems on a much larger level than issues that concern most teens and adolescents. The stories tends to be based on the political and cultural context that produces them, with the results standing as a sort of social commentary, cloaked in an entertaining format. By providing a young adult protagonist who is simultaneously dealing with the issues of growing up, they are able to make the character relatable to the teen market.

George Orwell’s 1984, one of the most famous works in dystopian literature, was written shortly after World War II. Clearly, the book is a form of commentary on totalitarian states such as Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union under Stalin’s control—Orwell created elements of an extremely oppressive government intent on control individuals in every way possible, including their thoughts. The book, which many considered to be one of the best fantasy novels of all time, opened the eyes of many readers and set the tone for a new take on the genre.