Dystopias in Literature

[goobaloo]

Perhaps the most widely recognized dystopia, created by *Orson Welles*, is the world monitored by Big Brother, found in 1984. An excellent novel detailing the human struggle to seek a balance between happiness, and life's experiences. The progression of the book concerns the average, middle class citizen, and his "secret" lusts and desires for something more than the highly regimented life set in place. His menial job as history editor provides him with enough power to deduce that "History is bunk." Finding solace in the fact that he is not alone in his struggles to find an identity despite the government, he discovers a world of beauty and sensual pleasure.

Another book about humanity's desire for continuous happiness is Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. This dystopic society is powered by preprogrammed humans who are created and trained for a specific stimulous and response. The height of this society is represented in the character Lenina, who has no desire to seek a better life, only to work and enjoy. A social outcast, Bernard, wants only recognition, and he receives it when on vacation in an Indian Reservation, discovers a "brutal savage" and his mother who was a castaway from the sterile socity. Bringing them into a world of endless happiness, the savage, John, is both curious and impressed with his new surroundings. However, discovering that his desire to continuing experience a life that also involves tragedy, he is considered a monster for his humanity.

Although the examples are boundless, these are the only two dystopic books that I have a thorough knowledge of. Does anyone else have a comment on the use of dystopias to explain and contrast human psychology?



*My mistake (holy crap), thanks to penandpaper, though it is indeed George Orwell, author of other memorable book Animal Farm.  

[penandpaper67]

1984 isn't by Orson Welles, it's by George Orwell. George Orwell is a pen name, but the man's real name was Eric Arthur Blair. I don't know, he could have had another pen name but..... 1984 is the only one of the 2 that I have read, but I thought it was really good. I haven't read that many dystopia books, but I've read countless utopia books. They all seem very similar.......  

[goobaloo]

penandpaper67

1984 isn't by Orson Welles, it's by George Orwell. George Orwell is a pen name, but the man's real name was Eric Arthur Blair. I don't know, he could have had another pen name but..... 1984 is the only one of the 2 that I have read, but I thought it was really good. I haven't read that many dystopia books, but I've read countless utopia books. They all seem very similar.......

Oh my goodness, you are completely right. Wow, that was a horrible blunder on that one. Thank's.  

[serephemeral]

I read 1984, and loved it. George Orwell Is a great author. We read Animal Farm in Lit last year.  

[penandpaper67]

I had to read Animal Farm as well. A lot of people didn't like it, but I loved it. Along with Farenheit 451.......  

[serephemeral]

I haven't gotten around to Farenheit 451 yet. Is it good?  

[Inepta]

Yah it's good but terryfing... Mustafa Mond rulez mrgreen  

[H20edDownAzn]

I cannot say that I have read 1984. It is a book that I'd like to read at some point. However, I have read the book that my english teacher claimed was the basis for 1984.

"We" by Yvgeny Zamyatin (spelling may be off) is a novel about a post war society that has built itself back up into pretty much a high-tech commune. Disorder and chaos have been weeded out. That is to say that everything is as brutally efficient and machine-like as possible. The narrator of the novel is at first a firm believer in the principles beaten into his brain by the government until he is slowly 'corrupted' by a girl with a brilliantly white smile.

To clarify things on 451:

"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury is a short novel about a fireman in the future. In the future, apparently, fireman don't put out fires they start them. The firemen are the government's enforcement agency when it comes to the banning of books. They go on raids to burn away any literature deemed in appropriate.  

[Kipluck]

Actually of all those Fahrenheit 451 is my favorite. Sometimes I just feel like yelling "consider the lilies! consider the lilies!" hee hee!  

[penandpaper67]

Kipluck

Actually of all those Fahrenheit 451 is my favorite. Sometimes I just feel like yelling "consider the lilies! consider the lilies!" hee hee!

I know what you mean. xd  

[ChuChu101]

Despite my classmates uh...loathing the book, I actually enjoyed Fahrenheit 451. For some strange reason, I didn't read Animal Farm in English Honors...I saw the movie a while back though.  

[Suoronos]

451 was an amazing book, as was 1984.

Another dystopia that comes to mind [besides "The Matrix"; I could write a six-page paper on the symbolism in that movie lmao] is Anthem by Ayn Rand. It is a story of a society in which names include numbers, and the first person pronouns do not exist. Everyone is a part of the collective [not unlike the Borg on Star Trek, if you have any idea what I'm talking about], and everyone says "We" and "Us." The main character [and narratour, I believe] is a man who thinks that there must be something more than the world he is living in. Skipping through the book, he: creates electricity in an ancient storm drain, falls in love, runs away with the woman, finds a house in the mountains, reads a bunch of books, discovers the idea of "I," and decides to re-educate his entire society. Quite an interesting book, actually. -nod-  

[Jonni Mnemonic]

I’ve read some of the books mentioned -- Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and Brave New World -- and they all impressed me, although I probably enjoyed Fahrenheit the most. I’d also include a few Atwood novels under the dystopian theme. The Handmaid’s Tale is about Offred, a “handmaid” living in a dictatorial society where women are completely controlled by men. Deeper than simply illustrating gender differences, it explores the various meanings of freedom and imprisonment. Oryx and Crake, although also an apocalypse story, depicts a society frighteningly similar to our own, with today’s genetic engineering, rich-poor divide, obsession with appearances, and sensationalist thrills elevated beyond our comfort level.  

[Tsuki_Hana_Chan]

I've never read 1984 but my teacher read Animal Farm to us in fourth grade and then we went to see the play. I'm sorry to say but I hated both. I don't remember much about it now, though I think I tried to block it out of my brain because it horrified me. I cried when he was reading and at the play. I guess I was just to young back then. Oh well, maybe I'll try reading it now since I'm older. I don’t know. I usually end up hating all the books where an animal dies like Where The Red Fern Grows and Wringer. crying  

[5 to midnight]

I didn't know there were so many books like this! I've read Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451 and 1984 but only because we had to read it in school. I liked Animal Farm and Fahrnheit 451 wasn't too bad. I have to admit though, 1984 was a creepy book. Spefically, at the end when the guy's captured....
I kinda get the feeling people won't ever stop writing these books because no one wants a messed up society like the ones in these books. I think maybe the books sort of act as limits for society...although there's so many nut-jobs out there who knows?