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Traits of Dystopian Fiction

This document outlines common traits found in dystopian fiction literature. These traits include a backstory involving a dramatic event that changed society, a lower standard of living for most citizens, and a protagonist who questions and tries to resolve the societal problems. Other common traits are a shift of control to corporations or bureaucracies, restricted advanced technology, a familiar yet evil society, lack of resolution, rebellion groups, possibility of escape if the dystopia is not global, and the protagonist making a fatal mistake.

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Zicu Brova
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362 views1 page

Traits of Dystopian Fiction

This document outlines common traits found in dystopian fiction literature. These traits include a backstory involving a dramatic event that changed society, a lower standard of living for most citizens, and a protagonist who questions and tries to resolve the societal problems. Other common traits are a shift of control to corporations or bureaucracies, restricted advanced technology, a familiar yet evil society, lack of resolution, rebellion groups, possibility of escape if the dystopia is not global, and the protagonist making a fatal mistake.

Uploaded by

Zicu Brova
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BOZEMAN ELA

Traits of Dystopian Fiction


Many works of dystopian literature exhibit at least a few of the following traits:
A selectively-told back story of a
war, revolution, uprising, spike in
overpopulation, natural disaster or
some other climactic event which
occurred in the past and resulted in
dramatic changes to the society
A standard of living among the
lower and middle class that is
generally poorer than in contemporary
society
A protagonist who questions the
society, often feeling that something
is terri!ly wrong
"he character must reali#e that
their pro!lems are not
individual, !ut part of the social
structure they are in, and
attempt to resolve the pro!lems
for more than $ust him or her
self
A shift of societal control to
corporations, cli%ues or !ureaucracies
Technology more advanced than that
of contemporary society &sually, the
advanced technology is controlled
e'clusively !y the group in power,
while the oppressed population is
limited to technology compara!le to or
more primitive than what we have
today
A familiar feeling( dystopian fiction
feels familiar !ecause the evil society
must have echoes of today, of the
reader)s own e'perience *f the reader
can identify the patterns or trends
that would lead to the dystopia, it
!ecomes a more involving and
effective e'perience
A lack of resolution( dystopian
fiction is often +!ut not always,
unresolved "hat is, the narrative may
deal with individuals in a dystopian
society who are unsatisfied, and may
re!el, !ut ultimately fail to change
anything -ometimes they themselves
end up changed to conform to the
society)s norms
Rebellion( there is usually a group
of people somewhere in the society
who are not under the complete
control of the state, and in whom the
hero of the novel usually puts his or
her hope, although he or she still fails
to change anything
The possibility of escape( if
destruction of the dystopia is not
possi!le, escape may !e, if the
dystopia does not control the world

The fatal mistake( the protagonist
makes a mistake that !rings a!out the
end of a.n re!el society

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