Dystopia: A society or place where a certain group or all are subject to oppression and injustice by a ruling group, government, or person.
In this class, I felt like I learned a lot more about the perspective of Dystopias and why and how they were created in the first place. I used to read many dystopian books as a middle schooler and while I enjoyed them, I never really understood that they were speaking on real-world issues and problems. Being in this class not only taught me the history of Utopias to Dystopias but also how there are so many different types for different reasons. I also enjoyed reading the books because even with different plots and storylines, people were still being subject to unfair rules, treatment, and more. I taught me to look at out own society in more of a critical tone because if these topics can be fit into many different fantasy stories, how far off are we from them in this reality if I can connect them?
In Gorman Beauchamp’s Writing, they speak on how technology is and isn’t involved in the world of Dystopias. He speaks on how Dystopias projects certain ideas such as having fears of utopias and technology and that is why he exists. Their writing has an interesting standpoint because it talks more about technology’s involvement in the worlds of dystopias along with the study and topic of Science.
In Vivien Green’s Writing, she speaks of the context behind Utopia and even to what it may truly mean. To her, she sees that it could mean a “perfect society” but she also ponders what the “ideal society is”. Is it based off of no oppression, where all are equal to everyone’s standards or just one person’s standards? Everyone’s idea of a utopia is different which she emphasizes as we can’t put an exact defintion on what it is.
Beauchamp, G. (1986). TECHNOLOGY IN THE DYSTOPIAN NOVEL. Modern Fiction Studies, 32(1), 53–63. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26281849
Greene, V. (2011). Utopia/Dystopia. American Art, 25(2), 2–7. https://doi.org/10.1086/661960