Social dystopia. “Dystopia as a separate literary genre

Lectures on foreign literature XX century (full-time departmentIsemester)

Lecture No. 9

Orwell's first work of fiction was the story-parable Animal Farm (1945). The genre definition given by the author in the subtitle is “fairy tale story”, fairy tale. The main device in the story-parable is allegory. Each character in the story is an allegory social type or a parody of this or that political figure, and the whole situation described in the work parodies the real political reality in Soviet Russia 1 floor XX century. Thus, in the image of the boar Napoleon, the features of Stalin’s biography are clearly visible, and in the image of Snowball – Trotsky. The main moral that the reader should take away from this parable is that all political coups, although they begin as events for the benefit of the people, are carried out solely for the personal benefit of politicians. Winged expression became one of the corrected animal commandments: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.”

Second piece of art Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, written in 1948. The title of the novel was derived from the year the work was written. The author placed the action of the novel in the future, but a clear date for artistic time was formed at the last moment.

The image of the state depicted in the novel is formed on the basis of the “reversal” technique, the transformation of any object or fact into its opposite. So in Oceania there are three ministries: the Ministry of Truth (involved in falsifying history), the Ministry of Plenty (the economy) and the Ministry of Love (state police). “Five minutes of hatred” are held at work, young people enter into an “anti-sex union”, marriages should only be concluded without love, language is destroyed, the meaning of words is lost or turned into its opposite.

Before considering the best books in the dystopian genre, familiarizing yourself with their content and understanding why books of this genre have always aroused the genuine interest of readers, let us return to the origins of this term.

What is "dystopia"?

The term “dystopia” appeared in literature as the exact opposite of works written in the utopian genre. The first writer who gave birth to a whole literary direction, was the English philosopher Thomas More. The beginning of the utopian genre is usually derived from his novel “Utopia” (1516). Actually, most of his works showed an ideal society in which everyone lives happily and calmly. The name of this world is utopia.

In contrast to his “serene” works, works by writers began to appear who spoke about a completely opposite society, country or world. In them, the state limited human freedom, often freedom of thought. Works written in this vein began to be called dystopia.

In dictionaries, “dystopia” is characterized as a crisis of hope, the meaninglessness of the revolutionary struggle, and the ineradicability of social evil. Science is not seen as a solution global problems and a way to build social order, but as a means of enslaving people.

It is quite difficult to determine which of the books in this genre are the most popular, since their rating, as a rule, depends on many circumstances: the country and government system, social and economic factors, time and age of readers. Of course, the first works written in these genres stand apart as the best books of utopia and dystopia.

Origins of dystopia

The birthplace of this term, as well as its antagonist, was England. In 1848, the philosopher first used the word “dystopian” as the exact opposite of “utopian.” As a literary genre, the term “dystopia” was introduced by G. Negley and M. Patrick in their work “In Search of Utopia” (1952).

The genre itself blossomed much earlier. In the twenties, in the wake of world wars and revolutions, the ideas of utopianism began to come true. It is not surprising that the first country to implement such ideas was Bolshevik Russia. The construction of a new society aroused the world community, and the new system began to be mercilessly ridiculed in English-language works. Even today they occupy the first lines of the lists “Best Dystopias” and “Books of All Time”:

• 1932 - “Brave New World”, O. Huxley.
• 1945 - “Animal Farm”, J. Orwell.
• 1949 - “1984”, J. Orwell.

These novels, along with the rejection of communist tyranny, like any other, reflect a general confusion at the possibility of a soulless civilization. These works have stood the test of time as the best dystopias. Books of this genre are still in demand today. So what is the secret of dystopia?

The essence of dystopias

As can be seen from the above, dystopia is a parody of the utopian idea. She highlights the danger of confusing social “fiction” with facts. That is, it draws the line between reality and fiction. In dystopias that reveal the so-called ideal society, they describe inner world person living in this society. His feelings, thoughts.

What is seen “from the inside” shows the essence of this society, its unsightly underside. In fact, it turns out that an ideal society is not so perfect. The best dystopias call for understanding how an ordinary person pays for universal happiness. Books, as a rule, are written by authors for whom the object of study is the human soul, unique and unpredictable.

Dystopia reflects the “new world” from the inside from the perspective of a person living in it. For a huge, soulless state mechanism, a person is like a cog. And at a certain moment, natural human feelings awaken in a person, which are incompatible with the existing system, built on restrictions, prohibitions and subordination to the interests of the state.

A conflict arises between the individual and the social order. Dystopia shows the incompatibility of utopian ideas with the interests of an individual. Reveals the absurdity of utopian projects. Clearly demonstrates how proclaimed equality turns into equalization; the state structure forcibly determines human behavior; Technological progress turns man into a mechanism. This is what the best dystopias are designed to show.

Works in the utopian genre point the way to perfection. The purpose of dystopia is to show the absurdity of this idea, to warn about the dangers that await along this path. By comprehending social and spiritual processes, analyzing misconceptions, dystopia does not aim to deny everything, but only seeks to point out dead ends and consequences, possible ways overcoming.

The best dystopias

The books that preceded the emergence of dystopia are intended to show what the disturbing phenomena of our time can lead to, what fruits they can bring. These novels include the following:

• 1871 - “The Coming Race”, E. Bulwer-Lytton.
• 1890 - “Caesar’s Column”, I. Donnelly.
• 1907 - “The Iron Heel”, J. London.

In the thirties, a number of works appeared - warnings and dystopias that pointed to the fascist threat:

• 1930 - “The Autocracy of Mr. Parham”, G. Wells.
• 1935 - “It’s impossible here,” S. Lewis.
• 1936 - “War with the Newts”, K. Capek.

This also includes the above-mentioned works of Huxley and Orwell. “Fahrenheit 451” (1953) by R. Bradbury is considered one of the best novels in this genre.

So, ma figured out what dystopia is. These books (a list of the best of them, the most famous, which at all times are recognized as unsurpassed within this direction, we will consider in more detail below) are still in demand. Moreover, today they are more relevant than ever. What is their value? What do the authors of these novels warn about?

From classic to modern

R. Bradbury's story “Fahrenheit 451” is undoubtedly a classic of the dystopian genre. A book for all times. The author, one of the few, warns here about the threat of totalitarianism. The opinions of readers who leave reviews of the work are similar: how much the author foresaw. Bradbury predicted what is happening around us several decades ago. What is this story about, which has not left the top of the “Best Dystopia” list for many years?

Books of this genre are truly written by “masters of the image” human souls" How accurately many of them were able to depict the inner world of man and the distant future in those days. The story “451 degrees” is a very brave, well-written book. The author introduces the reader to ordinary people. Enters into ordinary house, where the housewife disconnects from the surrounding life with “shells” - a radio or animated TV walls. Sound familiar? If we replace “TV walls” with the words “Internet and TV”, we get the reality around us.

The world drawn by the author sparkles with all the colors of the rainbow, pours out of the speakers, billboards stretch along the highways in continuous multi-meter canvases. Friends are being replaced by “relatives” who are interested in business from the screens and take away everything free time. There is no time left for the surrounding beauty - for the first flowers and spring sun, sunsets and sunrises, even on your own children.

But people living among talking walls are happy. And the recipe for their happiness is quite simple: they are the same. They don't want anything, they live only in the world of their living rooms. They don't need more. They remember little, think little, their heads are filled with the same things.

Books are banned in this world. Possession of books is punishable. Here they are burned. Firefighters do not save lives or put out fires. They burn books. Thus destroying human lives. One of the heroes of the story, fireman Guy Montag, one day meets a girl who manages to “shake up” this hero, awakening in him a craving for a normal life, for true human values.

Orwell and his novels

"1984" is a stunning novel in which society is shown as a totalitarian system based on spiritual and physical enslavement. Filled with hatred and fear. The inhabitants of this world live under the watchful eye of the “big brother”. The “Ministry of Truth” destroys history, regulates which facts are destroyed, which are corrected or left.

"Atomization", that is, social selection, is considered part of the state machine. A person can be arrested or released. And it happens that he goes missing. Living in this world is not easy. The state wages wars, explaining to the population that this is for their benefit. "Peace is war." There are no essential goods, food is a measured ration.

Hard work for the benefit of society, extracurricular work, subbotniks, public holidays - common occurrence in this world. A step away from generally accepted laws - and the person is no longer alive. "Freedom is slavery." The professionals of the Orwellian world are busy disinformation of the population. Destruction and distortion of documents, substitution of facts. There are lies everywhere, blatant lies. "Ignorance is strength."

Orwell's novels are difficult but powerful. Of course, these are the best dystopias. The books are well written, from the first to the last page they are permeated with sound thoughts. The author is driven only by good intentions - to warn humanity from social catastrophe. Show that violence, cruelty, ruthlessness, and silence of society give rise to absolute power. In the end, only those who live for the sake of the party are happy. But absolute power kills the individual. Returns it to its original state. Even more. capable of destroying humanity.

"Barnyard"

The second work of this author, which is considered one of best dystopias, - “Animal Farm” (the second name is “Animal Farm”). Here the author does not show the state, the political system or any system. In this work, he classifies people by comparing them with animals.

Sheep are weak-willed, stupid people who do and say only what they are told. They are unable to think with their own heads and therefore take all innovations for granted. Horses are naive, good-natured, ready to work for an idea day and night. The world rests on these people. Dogs don't shy away from dirty work. Their main task is to fulfill the will of the owner. They are ready to serve one today, another tomorrow, as long as they are fed well.

The ferocious boar Napoleon in Orwell's novel is recognizable. A person who is ready to erect a throne for himself anywhere, just to install himself on it and hold on to it by any means. The collapse, whom the author presents in the novel as a young boar, should have been such a person convenient for any kind of power - to blame, to blame any sin on him. Everything is clear with the pig Squealer - he is able to make black white, and vice versa. A convincing liar and an excellent speaker, he changes facts with just one word.

A satirical, instructive parable, close to the realities of life. Democracy, monarchy, socialism, communism - what's the difference. As long as people who are low in their desires and impulses come to power, no matter in what country and under what system, society will not see anything good. It is good for the people to have a worthy ruler.

New world

Aldous Huxley's Brave New World is not as scary as Orwell's. His world is based on a strong World State, which has been embraced by technocracy. Small reservations were left as economically unprofitable reserves. It would seem that everything is stable and correct. But no.

People in this world are divided into castes: alphas are engaged in mental work - this is the first class, alpha pluses occupy leadership positions, alpha minuses are people of lower rank. Betas are women for alphas. Beta Pros and Cons are smarter and dumber, respectively. Deltas and gammas - servants, agricultural workers. Epsilons are the lowest stratum, a mentally retarded population performing routine mechanical work.

Individuals are grown in glass bottles, raised differently, even the color of their clothes is different. The main condition of the new world is the standardization of people. The motto is “Commonality, Sameness, Stability.” Rejecting history, they are all subordinated to expediency for the benefit of the World State.

The main problem of this world is that artificial equality cannot satisfy thinking people. Some alphas cannot adapt to life and feel complete loneliness and alienation. But without conscious elements, a new world is impossible, because they are the ones responsible for the well-being of others. Such people accept service as hard labor or go to the islands due to disagreements with society.

The pointlessness of the existence of this society is that they are regularly brainwashed. The purpose of their life became consumption. They live and work in order to acquire absolutely unnecessary things. They have access to a variety of information and consider themselves to be quite educated. But they have no desire to engage in science or self-education, or to grow spiritually. They are distracted by insignificant and mundane things. This society is based on the same totalitarian regime.

If all people can think and feel, then stability will collapse. If they are deprived of this, then they will all turn into disgusting, stupid clones. The usual society will no longer exist; it will be replaced by castes of artificially bred individuals. Organizing society through genetic programming, while destroying all the main institutions, is tantamount to its destruction.

The books mentioned above are considered the best in their genre. These may also include:

• A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962).
• “We” by Evgeny Zamyatin (1924).
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954).

These works are considered classics. But modern authors have also created many wonderful books in the utopian genre.

Modern dystopias

Books (a list of the best can be seen below) of the current century differ from the classics in that they so closely intertwine different genres that it is problematic to separate one from the other. They contain elements of science fiction, post-apocalypse, and cyberpunk. But still, several books by modern authors deserve the attention of lovers of dystopias:

• Lauren Oliver's "Delirium" trilogy (2011).
• Kazuo Ishiguro's novel “Never Let Me Go” (2005).
• Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy (2008).

Without a doubt, the genre we are considering is becoming increasingly popular. Dystopia invites readers to see a world in which there will never be a place for them.

Readers' reviews agree on one thing: not all dystopias are easy to read. Among them there are “heavy books that are difficult to come by.” But the idea and essence of what was written is simply surprising: how much the events taking place in the novels resemble modern life, recent past. These are serious, heart-piercing novels that make you think. Many of the books can be read with a pencil in hand - people note the abundance interesting places and quotes. Not all dystopias are read in one sitting, but each work remains in the memory for a long time.

The rather boring “Little Golden Book... of the New Island of Utopia” (or simply “Utopia”), written by Thomas More in 1516, gave literature two genres at once: utopian and dystopian. Utopia idealizes, describing a society that cannot exist. Dystopia, on the contrary, denies ideals and justice, condemns the totalitarian structure of society. Typically, dystopian novels show an anxious intelligentsia, dissatisfied with the coming revolution and concerned about the fate of humanity. Here is a selection of the best novels of the dystopian genre that can change consciousness.

1. "1984", George Orwell

The novel, published in 1949, was banned in the Soviet Union, and in the countries of the socialist camp was subjected to harsh criticism and censorship. Orwell was living on a remote island at the time and, being seriously ill, published the novel himself. And not in vain - the work aroused public delight and laudatory criticism. 40 years later it was filmed.

The reader gets acquainted with the state of Oceania, in which there is a Ministry of Truth (where the main character, a 39-year-old Englishman, works), and a Ministry of Love. By this country the author means the USSR, whose enemies are constantly changing and which is in a state of periodic wars. Using the example of the lives of the main characters, Orwell reveals all the “delights” of the totalitarian regime.

2. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

A scientific dystopia published in 1953. This shows a society that is forbidden to think critically, reflect, or have its own point of view. Therefore, searches are carried out everywhere in the state and any printed literature is destroyed. Paper ignites at 451 degrees. Television is used as a means of “mass disinformation.”

3. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

There is no room for any problems in this brave new world. Pain, sadness, sadness do not exist here. From birth, everyone here is taught that he is the best, that there is the best place for him in society, and that all the benefits are only for him. But if cats still scratch at your soul, it doesn’t matter. Welcome to the pharmacy of the future! Swallowed a tablet or two of soma - and great mood secured.

4. Animal Farm, George Orwell

Here the author, in the allegorical form of a parable, tells us about the Russian Revolution of 1917. "Residents" barnyard rebelled against the vile attitude of people towards themselves. They drive out people and become masters of their own home. This is how a free republic arises, led by a pig.

5. “We”, Evgeny Zamyatin

It was under the influence of this book that George Orwell wrote the novel 1984. By the way, he wrote a review of the novel “We,” which is the most famous dystopia of the entire literary world. In the 26th century, the inhabitants of the United State, headed by the Benefactor, differ only in numbers. Having completely lost their individuality, the numbered crowd re-elects its Benefactor every year. Naturally, unanimously. At the heart of the State is the main principle of the incompatibility of freedom and happiness.

6. A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess

Alex is more of an anti-hero, as he resists the grip of a totalitarian system with his brutal crimes. Society is trying to “stall” young people and show them their place. But it was not there! Who wants to be under pressure? So tortured corpses, raped women, robbed and beaten old people appear on the streets. This activity is almost a religion of the gang, led by a teenager who has lost his human form.

7. “Kys”, Tatyana Tolstaya

The author describes the post-apocalyptic future of Russia after a nuclear explosion. Everything is mutated: people, animals, plants. Kys is a kind of monster that appears in the thoughts of the main character. The novel itself is a satire on the Soviet socialist system with its cult of personality, the supremacy of the intelligence services, and the absence of any human rights.

8. Pit”, Andrey Platonov

The story is a parable, a satire on the Soviet system, written in 1930. In a satirical sense, the words of Cheburashka would be suitable as an epigraph for the story: “We built, built, and finally built!” The society plans to build a “common house” in the first five years of its existence. However, at a certain stage, builders come to the understanding that they cannot build anything worthwhile on old rubble. The construction ends with a foundation pit.

9. "Don't Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

« Best Novel 2006" by an English writer is among the hundred best English-language works. It was filmed in 2010. The novel was written from the perspective of a woman who worked in a special boarding school where children were “raised” through cloning as living donors for organ transplants. She talks about the fate of her two friends and her own fate, since she was also “raised” to be a donor….

10. Slaughterhouse-Five, or the Children's Crusade, Kurt Vonnegut

During the war, the author survived the bombing of Dresden. This is actually what his autobiographical work is about. Vonnegut is one of 7 American prisoners who survived the bombing. During the day they were kept at slaughterhouse No. 5, and during raids they were kept in the basements where meat carcasses were stored. The novel adds a fantastic element.

Main character- an apathetic American soldier experiencing post-traumatic shock after the bombing. He says that he is being taken to a certain planet. The aliens taught him to see in four dimensions. As a result, Billy falls asleep as an elderly widowed man and wakes up on his wedding day. Living in 1955, he enters the door, and in 1941 he comes out of it. The main thing is to choose the right doors so as not to end up in Slaughterhouse No. 5.

11. “Invitation to Execution”, Vladimir Nabokov

Fantastic elements do not allow us to accurately determine either the place or time of events. The main character is imprisoned in a fortress because he is “incomprehensible” to society. His father was like that too. His trial is absurd. The death sentence is announced with farce: “By the kind permission of the public...”. To cut off his head, the hero is led to execution with mockery. In these terrible illusions, only he turns out to be a real person.

12. “Snail on the Slope”, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

The authors considered this novel the most significant work. It had a difficult fate and was published in parts in magazines for a long time. Only 22 years after the first publication, its full version was published.

The novel is divided into two parts, loosely connected. The reader is introduced to two different societies. These two different worlds, existing according to their own laws, are represented by two scientists. They are not understood, and they do not understand violence. Both seek the truth, but each in their own way.

13. “The Beach”, Alex Garland

Somewhere on the Thai islands a piece of paradise is lost - the Beach. The people who found it do not find any hint of civilization on the Beach. People are fascinated by wildlife. The beach was called Eden. But just like heaven, getting there is very difficult...

14. Delirium, Lauren Oliver

The trilogy of the American writer, published in 2011, immediately became a bestseller and was translated into more than 20 languages. The novel describes the society of the future. It only wanted peace on the whole Earth. It found the root cause of all its misfortunes. It turned out to be Love - amor deliria. In order not to become infected with this disease, a mandatory procedure has been introduced for everyone who has reached the age of majority - erasing the memory of the past. Well, a sad fate awaits the sick person...

15. The Running Man, Stephen King

Those who have not read this novel remember its magnificent film adaptation with Schwarzenegger in the title role. “Running Man” is one of the most terrible, cruel and inhumane games in which Americans are forced to take part in order to earn at least some kind of livelihood. The winner of the prize is life. However, no one has yet managed to win. Will the main character be able to do this?

Describing a state in which negative development trends have prevailed (in some cases, it is not a separate state that is described, but the world as a whole). Dystopia is the exact opposite of utopia.

Origin of the term

For the first time the word "dystopian" ( dystopian) as the opposite of “utopian” ( utopian) was used by the English philosopher and economist John Stuart Mill in 1868. The very term “dystopia” (English dystopia) as the name of a literary genre was introduced by Glenn Negley and Max Patrick in their anthology of utopias “In Search of Utopia” (The Quest for Utopia,).

Modern literary criticism identifies “pseudo-carnival” as the structural core of dystopia, if the main emotion of the carnival described by Bakhtin is ambivalent laughter, the basis of the totalitarian pseudo-carnival is absolute fear combined with reverence for the state.

History of the genre

In Russia, at the end of the 18th century, the creator of dystopia in its modern form and function was the writer Mikhail Matveevich Kheraskov. His duology “Kadmos and Harmony” (1789) and “Polydor, son of Kadmos and Harmony” (1794) has a form quite common for classicism allegorical journey, closely related to classic examples of utopia: heroes travel through fictional countries, comparing “good” states with “bad” ones. However, in “Cadmos and Harmony” Kheraskov goes beyond these genre boundaries, not limiting himself to a static comparison, but showing how a utopian state based on the ideas of freedom, equality and brotherhood gradually evolves towards its opposite. A group of enlightenment philosophers and their followers founds an ideal state on a fertile island. Soon a struggle for power begins on the island, and philosophers, using their knowledge, win a number of privileges. Privatization takes place: land, fields and forests are divided between citizens in equal shares, and a hierarchy of ranks is introduced. Scientists begin to charge for medical, legal and economic advice, gradually turning into tyrant oligarchs. This utopian experiment ends with an internecine war, as a result of which the island dies in fire.

The genre reached its peak in the 20th century. In Soviet Russia, a country in which they are trying to implement utopian ideas at the state level, Evgeniy Zamyatin writes the novel “We” in 1920. It was followed in 1925 by “Leningrad” by Mikhail Kozyrev, Andrei Platonov wrote “Chevengur” and Kotlovan from the mid-1920s to the early 1930s.

Following Zamyatin's “We,” the novels “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley, written in 1932, and “1984 (novel)” by Orwell, created in 1948, become classic examples of the genre.

see also

Notes

1. See Preface E. Gevorkyan “What is the road to heaven paved with?” to the collection “Dystopias of the 20th century”, M, 1989:

   Theoretical debates about the boundaries of the genre have been going on for a long time. Terminological disagreements eventually settled down, and now three gradations have emerged: utopia - that is, an ideally good society, dystopia - an “ideally” bad one, and dystopia - located somewhere in the middle.

2. Dystopia is often referred to as anti-utopia, as it is the exact opposite of a utopian society which is an ideal life. Although some say anti-utopia and dystopia are two separate terms. The difference being that dystopia is a completely horrible state that makes no pretences of being a good life, whereas anti-utopia is one that is almost utopian except for one big flaw.

3. A "Future Trace" on Dataveillance: The Anti-Utopian and Cyberpunk Literary Genres http://rogerclarke.com/DV/NotesAntiUtopia.html Roger ClarkeThe terms "anti-utopia" and "dystopia" are of more recent origin, and appear to be synonyms. Remarkably, neither yet appears in the Macquarie Dictionary or the Britannica, although the Britannica entry on “utopia” does include this useful paragraph: “In the 20th century, when the possibility of a planned society became too imminent, a number of bitterly anti- utopian, or dystopian, novels appeared. Among these are The Iron Heel (1907) by Jack London, My (1924; We, 1925) by Yevgeny Zamyatin, Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley, and Nineteen Eighty-four (1949) by George Orwell. The Story of Utopias (1922) by Lewis Mumford is an excellent survey." I haven’t yet run to ground when the prefixes “anti” (against, opposed to) and “dys” (hard, bad or unlucky, as in dysfunctional) were first added. They are used to describe a category of literature, and the worlds that they portray, which are the opposite of ideal - at least from the perspective of a humanist. My associations for the word “anti-utopian” are clearly with George Orwell’s “1984”, published in 1948. My guess would be that some literary critic (one of the Waughs, perhaps?) invented it when reviewing that book. It is possible, however, that it was first used in respect of the earlier novels Zamyatin’s “We” (1922) or Huxley’s “Brave New World” (1932). As regards "dystopia", my memory (based on a distant acquaintance with literature and lit. crit. works dating back to the late 1960s) is that it was discovered by some much later literary critic, perhaps about 1970.
4. Brandis E., Dmitrevsky Vl. Theme of “warning” in science fiction // Aramis Watch. L., 1967. - P. 440-471.

   The victorious advance of communist ideology, which takes possession of the minds of the broad masses, and the establishment and success of the socialist system inevitably give rise to a corresponding reaction from the ideologists of the old world. Dystopia is one of the forms of this reaction against socialist ideas and socialism as social system. Angry, libelous science fiction novels, directed against Marxism and the world's first socialist state, are becoming increasingly widespread as the crisis deepens and world capitalism decays.

   ... What is the difference between a warning novel and a dystopia?

   In our opinion, the fact that if in a dystopia the communist and socialist future is opposed to reactionary social ideas and, ultimately, to the status quo, then in a warning novel we are dealing with honest attempts to indicate what troubles and dangers, obstacles and difficulties may be encountered in further on the path of humanity.

5. Kagarlitsky Yu. What is science fiction? - M.: Artist. Lit-ra, 1974. CHAPTER IX. FICTION, UTOPIA, DYSTOPIA.
6. Shakhnazarov G. Where does it go humanity: (Critical essays on non-Marxist concepts of the future). M.: Mysl, 1985. (Chapter 1. O. Huxley and D. Orwell: nightmares of totalitarianism. 10-32).
7. , With. 38-39.
8. , Chapter 1. Where did Russian science fiction come from, p. 24-25.
9. , With. 38.
10. , With. 115.

Literature

Encyclopedias

• Lanin B. A. Dystopia // Literary encyclopedia terms and concepts / Nikolyukin A. N. - : Intelvac, 2001. - pp. 38-39. - 1596 p. - ISBN 5-93264-026-X.
• Chernyak V. D., Chernyak M. A. Dystopia // Mass literature in concepts and terms. - Science, Flint, 2015. - pp. 10-12. - 250 s. - ISBN 978-5-9765-2128-5.
• June Deery. Distopias // Encyclopedia of Literature and Science / Pamela Gossin. - Greenwood Press, 2002. - pp. 115-116. - 575 p. - ISBN 9780313305382.
• George Mann. Dystopia // . - Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2001. - pp. 477-478. - 612 s. -

Dystopia is a genre of literature that describes a society in which negative development trends predominate. The main thrust of the plot is the survival of the heroes in a world where humanity initially lost. If you like books that are philosophical in their tension, you will like dystopia. Reading novels in this genre, you can think about eternal themes interaction between the people and the state, internal contradictions of man and eternal values. The best dystopian books They depict before us a basically totalitarian society, where a number of rules apply that limit freedom - to think, feel, live. As a rule, they have an unhappy ending, since the person inevitably suffers defeat.

The very concept of genre was introduced at the end of the last century. Books in the dystopian genre became a logical continuation of utopia, within which an ideal society was demonstrated. But to this day it has not been possible to build an ideal and happy society, it remains only in literary works, this has forced writers throughout time to think about the causes and origins of this. At the same time, it is very difficult to find dystopian books in the lists of Soviet literature. The fact is that this genre in the USSR was subject to comprehensive criticism, since it showed the failure of utopia as such in practice, while the idea of ​​an ideal communist state dominated in Soviet society. And only in the nineties did Russian authors begin to master this genre en masse.

Dystopian books: list of outstanding works

If you have not yet gotten acquainted with this genre, on the KnigoPoisk website you can find a rating of dystopian books, among which there will definitely be something you like. The best works will make you think about both the historical past and modern realities. Dystopian books, the list of which is presented on this page, will help you understand the authors and the intricacies of literary works.

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