The Evolution of Dystopia

[Holly]

While you could count H.G. Wells' 'The Time Machine' as a very early Dystopia, I feel the genre really went wild when we hit the mid 1900s.

Obviously, you have the 'big 3': 1984, Brave New World and We. But there are plenty of other great novels out there. Although relatively modern, 'The Handmaids Tale' (written in the 1980s) formed the new subset of Feminist Dystopia, while the likes of Philip K. Dick's 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' debated reality vs created-reality.

It's definitely a genre I'm fascinated by, and it's a subject I'd love to do for a dissertation/coursework piece.

Is there any Dystopian novels you really love?

[Michael]

I wrote a brief history of dystopia post you might be interested in http://literary-exploration.com/2012/...

[Holly]

I'll definitely check it out!

[Liân]

Great post, Michael. I've never actually read We but it's clearly one I should add to my must-read list. Never Let Me Go is one I've been meaning to get round to for a while, but still haven't!

A Clockwork Orange is a particularly stand out novel for me, not least because of Burgess' genius use of language.

I have to say, I prefer the older style of dystopian fiction, as I think they tend to be more political and have more to say about society than their more modern cousins, as you identify in your article, Michael. That's not to say that I don't think the newer works don't have something important to say, or aren't worth reading (many clearly do and are). It's just a preference on my part for that different emphasis.

[Holly]

I'm the same, Lian. I've never read We. I've put it on my Christmas list though.

Never Let Me Go was an infuriating book for me... It just didn't explain things enough, and while it was relatively readable, it got to the end and I just wanted to throw it against a wall...

I prefer older dystopian fiction too, although Margaret Atwood's more modern ones have really stood out for me. (The Year of the Flood is next on my to-read list). I've generally avoided many YA dystopian books, mainly because I don't see them as dystopian. I guess it's because I've read so much 'classic' dystopian fiction, I just feel as if they're writing about it because it's the norm now for Young Adult fiction, not because they want to write a dystopian novel.

[Michael]

Thanks, I know it's sometimes annoying to redirect the discussion to a blog post but it was easier to do than write out similar thoughts while at work. I'm not really a fan of YA highjacking the dystopia genre. There are good YA dystopian novels out there, When She Woke comes to mind. But I prefer my dystopian books to have interesting things about society.

[Holly]

It was a good post, so I'll let you off ;)

What frustrates about YA Dystopian literature is that it's far too focused on romance between two characters. Yes, in 1984, you have the romance between Winston and Julia, but that's because it's not allowed. There are some YA books where love is banned (eg.Delirium) which works really well. Other than that, the strong focus on romance annoys me because to me it isn't needed...

[Michael]

Between two?! I thought it was always an annoying love triangle

[Holly]

That is true. The Hunger Games is a prime example!

[Michael]

I'm so sick of love triangles, sometimes they work really well like in The Marriage Plot but most of them it's just a cliche

[Holly]

In fairness, quite often they're love angles. In The Hunger Games, it would only be considered a love triangle if Gale and Peeta had some undying love for eachother.

Now that would be a plot twist!

[Michael]

I'm waiting for the love square

[Holly]

Or love dodecahedron?

[Michael]

That would be complicated

[Holly]

Certainly would be...

I really should give Brave New World another go...

[Michael]

I recommend you do, it's a good book

[Michael]

Interesting discussion, and nice list @Michael. I've read everything there except the Shteyngart (which I lost interest in halfway through) and We, which I can't believe I've never even heard of. How did I miss that?

What I find really interesting as I look at those titles is that, as much as I love the idea of dystopian fiction, I love very few of these books. They felt more like chores. And I think the reason for that is the way politics can so often slip into this genre. I remember hating both Atlas Shrugged and The Handmaid's Tale, for example, because it felt like I was being lectured at.

I did love Fahrenheit 451, but it's been over thirty years since I read it. And Never Let Me Go breaks my heart every time (both the book and the movie), although Ishiguro has always been an author whose books I enjoy much more once I've finished them—they're not so much fun while I'm reading them.

One that I might add to the list is Samuel R. Delaney's Dhalgren, a book I read at fourteen and never really recovered from.

[Bionic Jean]

How about Ecotopian fiction? I can think of more examples of this in films though, such as "Soylent Green", which was based on Harry Harrison's Make Room! Make Room! or Logan's Run, based on the book by William F. Nolan, and more recently "Wall-E" and Avatar.

[LauraT]

I've just finished The Fixed Period by Anthony Trollope.
Probably it is not a proper Dystopia, but it describe a fictional british colony which gained indipendence and established by law a fixed period to live, after which - 67 year - people have to get into a college for a year and then be cremated, all for the good of menkind.
I was astonished that such an author as Trollope could think of something like this!

[Beth]

I have on my TBR. It's utopian fiction, not dystopian. I hope to get to it this summer. Anyone read it?