People like dystopian stories. Some get made into movies. I remember The Time Machine best because I saw the movie version, and the visuals stick in my mind. You may have read or seen memorable dystopian stories. I took my son to see The Road. It turned out to be a bonding event - like the father in the movie, I would keep my son from being eaten by post-apocalypse marauders.
I can imagine the US going in that direction one day and becoming a brutal, corrupt theocracy that oppresses women in myriad ways. One reason is that they help us feel better about our existing society which, even if imperfect, is far better.
Another reason is that we identify with the heroes in the stories, who usually are brave and capable. There has to be a reason that teens are devouring books like The Hunger Games and Divergent. Whatever the reason or reasons, there's no denying that these texts are engaging, especially those books under the umbrella of young-adult dystopian fiction.
These titles have characters that your students can identify with — protagonists close to their own ages, with similar problems well, besides living in a nightmare future society. Students like to read these books. And when students like what they're reading, they're more likely to put in the effort to understand it. That makes teaching them about literary technique a lot easier. And we can all agree that's a good thing.
Imagine a world where every student actually wants to read. Sounds downright utopian, doesn't it? Which dystopian titles do you like to teach? Which titles do your students like to read? Let us know in the comments. The modern world is pretty scary — especially for young people Every generation has its fears. For example, here are just a few issues we're dealing with: High levels of economic inequality Drastic increase of corporate power and influence Mass surveillance of ordinary citizens Criminals extracting personal information Social Security Numbers, banking passwords, personal pictures, etc.
There's a huge truth in that Jun 05, AM. P K Dick wrote about martian colons living in underground domes sharing music files with neighbors and friends living in their respective domes. This is exactly how I feel trying for the third time to post my contribution here. It was the memory of Brazil, a Terry Gilliams movie , The dystopic.
And something more. May be some one can help me to find the name of a novel about people living on a train and obliged to set the rails ahead every day to get going I dont remember where. Any way they had no chart of the territory. I will reward the person giving me the title and author of that book. Jun 06, AM. Was not lost and I have it again.
Jun 25, AM. For me, I think it shows the world took a wrong turn somehow and it explores that wrong turn. The best of the genre is uncomfortably close to reality and that provides the dread. Some of it is subtle and the mundane reaction is all the more scary. Dystopia has a plausibility factor that is enticing. Jun 26, PM. Jun 28, PM. Jun 29, PM. Jun 30, AM.
Jul 01, AM. Michele wrote: "Ellie [The Empress] wrote: " Or overthrowing all the rich people and seizing And yes to the next two statements you were going to make, but decided discretion was the better part of valor when posting at 1am.
On subject, I read dystopian novels because I can't help myself. Jul 02, PM. Jul 15, AM. Arun wrote: "I think one day, game theory can mathematically establish that utopia, under most conditions, is not an equilibrium.
The root cause of all this exists in the age-old debate between individualism an Examining some of the worst aspects of the dystopia that surrounds us, not in a novel but in the real world, and looking for the utopia within?
The Damned Balkans - a refugee road trip: The real utopia is where the strength of the human spirit allows communities to carry on and thrive, despite everything. Jul 16, AM. Jovo wrote: "Arun wrote: "I think one day, game theory can mathematically establish that utopia, under most conditions, is not an equilibrium. The root cause of all this exists in the age-old debate between ind We have to recognize the fact that much of the bad in the world comes from people because of fear, lust, greed etc.
So, you can never really have a sub-community which is utopian, because we are always going to be victims of our seven sins. But I understand what you are saying. You are asking for people to look at the positives within the dystopian world and that is pretty much what the world in general and even dystopian authors have done - the protagonist is almost always the moral compass of the story and we are able to navigate the world drawn by the author because the protagonist is relatable in a more positive sense.
In a way, we can only survive in this dystopian world because we still believe that there is still good around us. Otherwise, our basic instinct is to kill everything that scares us, pretty much how our ancestors homo-sapiens got rid of all the other hominid species on this planet.
Jan 30, PM. For me it's also a way to reflect on the past and trying to make sure we don't repeat the same mistakes we've made as humans in the past. Many things in dystopian novels set in the future are actually things that have happened before.
So it makes us question our path because we don't want to end up in a dark place that we've been before and thought we'd never see again. Feb 05, PM. I think Dystopian Literature is my way of communicating to the generations to come. Some of it is sensationalized, and that's too bad, like one too many vampire love stories.
The real issue is failure of a species to survive. This earth has seen lots of extinctions. We're reflecting on realism, but we are doing it fast forward. Mar 19, PM. I like the developments of society models and the humans evolving in different directions. Because I am an avid science fiction reader the scientifical background, search for a cure, technology backlash, I read them, because, oddly enough, they help me escape.
Many things in dystopian novels set in the future are actua I think it is a creative and safe way to critically analyze our own way of life. Apr 11, AM. I say that that its because we're a society that thrives on exaggeration and hyperbole in order to make a point. After all, its better for us as a species to assume the rustling in the bushes is a lion, or that all snakes are poisonous. Dystopia works in much the same way, but instead works upon our emotions and psychological traits.
We want to see how every pathology of the human mind can go wrong, and Dystopia gives us a way to do it. I don't think anyone actually believes that the modern age of pleasures and vices is going to lead to Brave New World, but it does allow us to strip away the noise of our current situations and examine more closely what we are doing to ourselves.
It perhaps as well serves as a useful tool to stop encroachment. If we can imagine a world in which proposed policy or societal change is taken to its logical conclusion, we can have an excuse to stop it in the current day. Most dystopia, however, doesn't really serve as a warning, and more serves as an entertaining background such as the Hunger Games. When society itself is a threat, heroes have something they most constantly defend against, constant contend with.
This is an excellent device for moving a narrative forward, as well as a foundation for more concrete worldbuilding. Whoa, Alec! Well said! And here I was just going to say that it's fun to take a break from reality and that sometimes the dystopian scenario we're reading is less disturbing than what's really going on.
Your explanation is rock star! This an honest question. Because this isn't my usual genre to READ. I can list most of the post-apocalyptic books I've read on one hand. The Road. The Stand. Side note: starting to understand why I named my books the way I did. Yes, I grew up talking about it. War or plague or even zombies.
Where would I go? What would I do? But why am I Why are WE So enchanted with the idea of the world ending? How often have we, as a society, lamented our use of our phones? Our tablets? Our computers? How often have we all, as a whole, said we'd be better off without them?
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