Dystopian Fiction Flashcards

Flashcards about dystopian fiction

Dystopia

A world where things are not as they are supposed to be, often set in a futuristic, imagined universe where the illusion of a perfect society is maintained through oppressive societal control.

Types of dystopian control

Corporate, bureaucratic and technological, or totalitarian.

The protagonist in a dystopian story

Feels trapped and struggles to escape, questions the political system, and believes that something is very wrong with the society.

Control in a dystopian society

Propaganda is used to control the citizens, and therefore, information, independent thought, and freedom of speech are restricted.

Dehumanization in dystopian societies

Citizens live in a state of fear and are under surveillance, with the society being an illusion of a perfect utopian world.

Key Characteristics of Dystopian Fiction

Questions the political system, struggles to escape, propaganda controls the citizens, information and independent thought are restricted, state of fear and surveillance, illusion of a perfect utopian society, and can reflect and criticize existing societal norms and political systems.

Examples of Dystopian Fiction

Brave New World, 1984, A Handmaid's Tale, The Hunger Games, Divergent, The Testaments.

Setting of the Hunger Games excerpt

A high chain-link fence topped with barbed-wire loops surrounds District 12.

Control of thought in the Hunger Games excerpt

The protagonist learns to hold their tongue and mask their thoughts to avoid trouble with the rulers of Panem.