Monday 4 March 2019

Exploring Genre: Dystopia

by Jeanette O'Hagan



What is dystopia?




An imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic.  

It's the reverse side of the coin to utopia (a word invented by  Sir Thomas Moore in sixteenth century  in his Utopia (1516) to define a perfect harmonious society.

Utopia means 'no place' while dystopia means 'bad place or a place of pain and struggles.'

With the naive modernist belief in progress and the powers of education and science to solve all problems in the nineteenth century, science fiction often looked to a bright future that would eliminate war, hunger, pain, disease. 



But the wars and genocides and problems of the twentieth dented that belief. As did the failure of attempts at  susposed utopian societies, including those of communism - in Russia, China and other places. 

This turn from optimism to pessimism was reflected in speculative fiction. The science fiction of H G Wells spans this change with often a more pessimistic view of the future of humanity (as in The Time Machine). 

Both utopian and dystopian fiction reveal the author's ideas of what is good and bad in society. And often one person utopia is another's dystopia.


The classics

Some classic dystpoias include well known books such as:

Time Machine by H G Wells (1895)
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1932)
1984 by George Orwell(published (1949)
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962)
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)



Early dystopian novels were often secular prophecies or projections of a possible grim futures if certain trends of the time continued unabated. And while each is dated to some extent, they can still be scarily relevant to our time so many decades later - from Orwell's Big Brother in 1984 or Bradbury's wall TVs, consumerism and senseless shallow lives living for the latest thrill in Fahrenheit 451.

The suggested root causes of the dystopia may vary - form a devastating war or natural disaster, from capitalistic consumerism to a conformist communism, to twisted theological autocratic regimes, to misogyny or climatic catastrophe (or some mixture of these).

The stories are meant as a warning and to provoke change, but often have a pessimistic tone. Thus 1984 ends with complete capitulation 'He loved Big Brother' though others are more optimistic with seeds of change (the 'living books' of Fahrenheit 451).

Young Adult Dystopian books


Dystopia goes almost hand in hand with the emergence of Young Adult literature as a distinct target audience (13-19) coming to prominence in the 1990s.

Lois Lowry's The Giver series (1993), Mortal Engines by Phillip Reeve (2001), City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (2003), Scott Westerfield's Uglies (2005) series, Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy (2008), Maze Runner series by James Dashner (2009), Veronica Roth's Divergent trilogy (2011)  -  dystopia has become a trope for YA books.

Common elements include a society which may at the start seem utopian (e.g. Brave New World, The Giver, Uglies, Divergent) or the inequities and conflicts may be more obvious (The Hunger Games). However, the apparent peace and prosperity is usually achieved by some evil or sacrifice and/or by a totalitarian control over the citizens.



Veronica Roth is a Christian  and, in the Divergent trilogy, the Abnegation faction arguably espouses many Christian virtues (though the virtues of the other factions such as honesty, knowledge, amity and courage are also valued by Christians). Yet, even these can be twisted and used in the wrong way.

The protagonists are generally part of the dystopian world and at some point, their eyes are opened, and they may seek to escape it, resist it or change it.  In some cases, there is a wider outside world (The Giver, the Divergent trilogy) or there may be a rebel group (The Hunger Games), but in each case, solutions often have mixed results and the ending may be tragic or unresolved or a mixture of good and bad outcomes.

Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic fiction


Dystopia is closely related to post-apocalyptic fiction and is often set after some major catastrophe has fallen on modern society (e.g.  the Uglies, The Hunger Games etc), though not always.

Apocalyptic literature focuses the arrival of a global catastrophe like global nuclear war, alien invasion, or a major pandemic (cf The Stand by Stephen King, 1978). Post-apocalyptic literature deals with the aftermath. It can be dystopian with a focus on dysfunctional societies or it might be more chaotic (cf Mad Max movies or Waterworld) or focused on the individual. Dystopia is generally the individual or group against society, whereas post-apocalyptic is more the individual against nature or other individuals and focuses on survival rather than changing society.


Christian Dystopia 


Is there such a thing as Christian dystopia?

Some may think not. On the other hand, the Bible has strong apocalyptic themes (particularly in Daniel, the Book of Revelation, but also in the teachings of Jesus, Paul, John and Peter). And the prophetic nature of dystopia (e.g. warnings of coming disaster if individuals and societies don't change their ways) is also a strong strand in both the Old Testament and the New (cf with Amos, much of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or Jesus' warnings for instance).

Dystopia provides a great platform for examining the benefits and failings of societies and the balance between the individual and the state, security and freedom, and the place of science, spirituality and religion. It can remind us that no society or social or political system is perfect, even our own.



Christian dsytopia generally takes a more hopeful approach, and would in some way look to God and a renewed heaven and earth, rather than a perfect societal system as one's ultimate goal.

Christian dystopia for an adult audience isn't that common. One suggestion I saw was That Hideous Strength by C.S.Lewis (1945; the third book of his sci-fi trilogy), though I think it might be closer to proto-dystopia - as the focus is on a band of people who wish to bring about their version of utopia (but what is in fact a dystopia) with the potential for terrible consequences and injustice.

Kerry Nietz's A Star Curiously Singing is a more recent example of a future dystopian world from a Christian perspective (though I tend to agree with one reviewer, that it is better to steer away from using a known (non-Christian) religion as the baddie, especially as I get tired of the common stereotype of Christian priests or theocracies cast as the cardboard cut-out villains in book after book after book).



Dystpoia has become more of a thing among Christian Young Adult novels. 

For instance:


  • Nadine Brandes's Out of Time series which starts with A Time to Die.
  • Anomaly by Krista McGee
  • Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee's The Book of Mortals series (starts with Forbidden)

My own Under the Mountain series - while epic fantasy - has dystopian themes - with a enclosed, dystopian society in the deep caverns beneath the mountain and where solutions are not simple but there is always a glimmer of hope. 



So have you read dystopia? What do you like or dislike about it? Which authors would you recommend?

This is a cross-post between ACW & CWD,

----

Jeanette spun tales in the world of Nardva from the age of eight or nine. She enjoys writing secondary world fiction, poetry, blogging and editing. Her Nardvan stories span continents, time and cultures. Many involve courtly intrigue, adventure, romance and/or shapeshifters and magic. Others, are set in Nardva’s future and include space stations, plasma rifles, bio-tech, and/or cyborgs.

She has published numerous short stories, poems, four novellas in the Under the Mountain series, her debut novel, Akrad's Children and Ruhanna's Flight and other stories.

Her latest release is Shadow Crystals, the penultimate novella in the Under the Mountain series with Caverns of the Deep due in April/May.

Jeanette has practised medicine, studied communication, history, theology and a Master of Arts (Writing). She loves reading, painting, travel, catching up for coffee with friends, pondering the meaning of life. She lives in Brisbane with her husband and children.


Find her on:
  

14 comments:

  1. Very interesting. Dystopian and Utopian novels are not my preferred genre, but I have watched a number of movies based on novels you have mentioned. They seem to be popular particularly with YA readers.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Meredith. Yes, very popular among YA readers.

      Delete
  2. Hi Jenny, this is really fascinating material. It would be an interesting exercise to trace the progress of dystopian fiction alongside historical events that are occurring at the time, which you've done a bit here. All great examples too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Paula. Good thought - it would be interesting doing a more detailed comparison.

      Delete
  3. Great post Jenny. Impressed as to how thorough your blog is and how much you know on the subject. Thanks for enlightening us.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Whilst not my reading genre your post Jenny is certainly interesting. Our son loves this genre and reading your post helps me to see a better perspective of why he likes the books he does. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Di, I love your comment 'Our son loves this genre and reading your post helps me to see a better perspective of why he likes the books he does.' Thank you :)

      Delete
  5. Interesting post, Jenny. I hadn't considered how Christian novels might include dystopian themes. I haven't read any of those, but I have read some of the others on your list - Fahrenheit 451, 1984, Brave New World, The Time Machine, Maze Runner. Another two I;d add to the list are 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' (i.e. the book that became Blade Runner) and Marie Lu's 'Legend'.

    The books I've read all have interesting themes that make you think, but I do like it if there is some hope. I hated the ending of '1984', but loved 'Fahrenheit 451'. I guess that's where Christian dystopian novels can come in, as you've mentioned. They can show the consequences of dystopian societies, but can also point the reader towards a more hopeful outcome. They can also show the importance of standing up for what you believe, even if it costs you.

    Great food for thought :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comments, Nola. Yes, some great additions. I really must read 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep'. And so great points about how Christian dystopia can be more hopeful and encourage standing up for what is right.

      Delete
    2. I was actually disappointed with 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep'. Quite different from the movie in parts. I like the movie better. But it did raise interesting issues.

      Delete
  6. Thanks for this enlightening post, Jenny. I actually love dystopian YA stories and have based my Bethlorian series on such, but with hope as the outcome amid a darkening world. Your post is well researched and well written. Love to see more Christian dystopian YA reads out there. Christian authors just need to take the plunge and show the world that we understand probably more than secular writers about the light and darkness covering our own world, the griefs and sorrows that come before indescribable joy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Elizabeth. Agree, it would be great to see more Christian dystopia infused with hope.

      Delete
  7. Thanks for this enlightening post, Jenny. I actually love dystopian YA stories and have based my Bethlorian series on such, but with hope as the outcome amid a darkening world. Your post is well researched and well written. Love to see more Christian dystopian YA reads out there. Christian authors just need to take the plunge and show the world that we understand probably more than secular writers about the light and darkness covering our own world, the griefs and sorrows that come before indescribable joy.

    ReplyDelete