Understanding Dystopian: Legend

Defining Utopia and Dystopia Utopia: A place, state, or condition that is ideally perfect in respect of politics, laws, customs, and conditions. Dystopia: A futuristic, imagined universe in which oppressive (cruel, harsh, unfair) societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through corporate, bureaucratic, technological, or moral/religious control.

Types of Dystopia Controls Most dystopian works present a world in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through one or more of the following types of controls: Corporate control: One or more large corporations control society through products, advertising, and/or the media. Examples include Minority Report. Bureaucratic control: Society is controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through a tangle of red tape, relentless regulations, and incompetent government officials. Examples include The Hunger Games. Technological control: Society is controlled by technology—through computers, robots, and/or scientific means. Examples include The Matrix, The Terminator, and I, Robot.

Characteristics of Dystopian Society ● The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world. ● Propaganda is used to control the citizens of society. ● Information, independent thought, and freedom are restricted. ● A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the citizens of the society. ● Citizens are perceived to be under constant surveillance. ● Citizens have a fear of the outside world. ● Citizens live in a dehumanized state. ● The natural world is banished and distrusted. ● Citizens conform to uniform expectations. Individuality and dissent are bad.

Characteristics of Dystopian Fiction Backstory: ● Dystopias are often part of a fictional universe, therefore a back story of how this world came to be or how it evolved (or de- volved) from our current world is necessary. ● The back story explains how the shift in control came to occur, with the end result being changed societal norms or a government now run by corporations, totalitarian dictatorships or bureaucracies.

Characteristics of Dystopian Fiction Hero: (There are a few different types of hero/protagonist that can occur in dystopian stories.) “The Emerging Hero” ● The protagonist intuitively feels something is wrong with society and sets out to change it, believing that it is possible to overthrow the dictatorship, or merely escape from the misery. ● They often feel trapped and are struggling to escape. ● They question the existing social and political systems and believe or feel that something is terribly wrong with the society in which he or she lives. ● They help the audience recognize the negative aspects of the dystopian world through his or her perspective. “The Accepted Hero” ● Another common form of protagonist is the high-standing, accepted hero, who is part of the Utopian perception of the dystopia, but eventually discovers or comes to understand how wrong society has become and either attempts to change it or destroy it.

Characteristics of Dystopian Fiction Conflict: ● Often, the hero meets a person who represents the dystopia, possibly the leader of the society. ● In the conflict, the hero meets and is sometimes helped by a group of people who are also trying to escape or destroy the dystopia. ● Sometimes they are people who were once part of the dystopia, but were exiled or have escaped, or they have created their own society within the dystopia.

Characteristics of Dystopian Fiction Climax: ● In dystopian literature, the story is often unresolved. ● Often the dystopia is not brought down. ● The hero may make their individual stand (or with the group discussed above) and often fails, but gives hope to others in the dystopia. ● Sometimes this climax is the hero's escape from the dystopia (Example: The Giver). Other times the hero fails to achieve anything and the dystopia continues as before.

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