In the 1960s, youth and intellectual circles were driven by such a thirst for revolution and idealism that any form of constructive criticism was immediately dismissed as reactionary. In the end, this derivative literary form has proven more prolific and productive than its initial source, utopia. Literary examples of dystopias abound, and some of them constitute major works that have become iconic representations of their times- A Brave New World (Aldous Huxley, 1932), 1984 (Georges Orwell, 1948), Planet Of The Apes (Pierre Boulle, 1963), The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood, 1985), Submission (Michel Houellebecq, 2015), among others. In literature, dystopia adopts the individual’s point of view, exposing the absurd treatment he/she is subjected to by a utopia that has evolved from a philosophical idea into an implemented, dominant system. Dystopia is the realization of utopia within a society, which rapidly turns into a chance to witness the malfunctions of said utopia when put to the test of reality, exposing its shortcomings and its social and political risks. The notion of dystopia-a “negative place” in etymological terms-appeared in the 19th century, also in England. Paradoxically, because utopia claims to respond to the entirety of human aspirations and contradictions through a single, univocal form of societal organization, it carries within it the seeds of ideological thought. In the second edition, More added the English homonym Eutopia into the title, thus stressing the idea of a “place of good.” This double meaning reveals the very nature of utopia-a device pertaining more to literature than to politics, it is an imaginary creation, an ideal which cannot be established within human society. Inspired by Plato’s Republic, the book is above all a humanist critique, an outline of the injustices that plagued 16th century European societies, England in particular. The term was coined in 1516 by Thomas More in his novel Utopia, which describes an ideal form of society “which is nowhere to be found” (utopia, a Greek word, translates as “no place”). I will also demonstrate how the rise of digital technology, through the production of simulation, has become significant in further developing this critical reflection. Literature, cinema, and architecture have all called upon the utopia/dystopia tandem in order to arrive at a constructive examination of our society. I will discuss how utopia and its counterpart, dystopia, have become essential tools for the critical analysis of an era by calling into question the aspirations of that era, as well as its more alarming aspects. In this article I will address the issues of anxiety and hope through the lens of a major artistic, literary, and philosophical genre-utopia. The communal utopia they established, like all utopias, eventually failed, and by 1898 the Zoar experiment was over.Frankenstein, 1931, directed by James Whale, graphic interpretation of the original image by Patrice Mugnier “I am not suggesting this dystopian future is around the corner, but this show has prompted important conversations about women’s rights and autonomy.” ( Vanity Fair Magazine)īut on Havergey, an island off the coast of Scotland, a small Utopian society has formed. The much-hyped debut of The Handmaid’s Tale, a 10-part feature set in a near-future world in which a patriarchal, theocratic regime in the throes of a fertility crisis exercises absolute control over its women, is based on the 1985 novel by Margaret Atwood, who the New Yorker recently reminded us is “the prophet of dystopia.” ( Commentary Magazine) The word utopia was derived from the Greek words ou meaning not and topos meaning place. Another example of a utopia is the Garden of Eden in the Old Testament. The word utopia was coined by Sir Thomas More in 1516, as a title for his work about a fictional island of egality. Utopias are not as frequently written about in literary works as dystopias. S Mill in 1868, combining the Greek prefix dys- meaning bad with the word utopia.Ī utopia is an imagined or fictional place in which things are perfect. The word dystopia was coined by British politician J. Some examples of dystopian tales are Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and The Giver by Lois Lowry.

Dystopias are frequently written about in literary works to illustrate current issues in a more extreme context.

A dystopia is an imagined or fictional place in which things have gone wrong.

Dystopia vs utopia