beat generation: a literary movement that rejected the established narratives to explore spirituality through non-conformist social behaviors.
artificial intelligence: the ability of computer systems to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence (visual perception, speech recognition, decision making, and more).
utopia: an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect
dystopia: an imagined state or society in which there is great suffering or injustice, typically one that is totalitarian or post-apocalyptic
speculative: based on conjecture rather than knowledge
retrospective: looking back on; dealing with past events
The concept of utopia--a place of perfection--was first set to writing by Sir Thomas More in 1516 in a whimsical imagining of the ideal society. The birth of the dystopia followed over two centuries later during the French Revolution, when social commentators imagined governments toppled. In The Machine Stops (1909), E.M. Forster penned what is largely considered the first dystopian novel. In his work, Forster described a world in which humanity had lost the ability to live on the surface and were controlled by a vast "machine," representative of technology. |
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WORTH NOTING: Forster's novel, in some ways, predicted many of the effects technology would have on modern society, including: globalization, networked communications, and even the loss of face-to-face relationships as a result of technology and other social problems.
If literature is a reflection of society, the dystopian novel offers authors and their readers a decidedly pessimistic view. But dystopian literature is more than a dismal prediction. Rather, the "what if?" in this speculative genre interrogates the world, raising awareness to issue in a way that is both jarring and moving. Consider:
According to Chris Robichaud, an ethics professor at Harvard University, fiction has always allowed us to "work our way through problems by telling stories." Teens may gravitate towards dystopian fiction because they are, themselves, beginning to take on adult problems--to grapple with larger world they see messed up by older generations. Dystopian novels offer a validation that their perceptions aren't off...that things need to change. Dystopian literature prepares young adults to step into the world as problem solvers.
The Classics
Great YA Dystopian Novels
Library Information and Media Center - Monona Grove High School - Monona, Wisconsin