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Someone Might Be Watching — An Introduction

to Dystopian Fiction
By Shelby Ostergaard
2017

Dystopian stories are commonplace in our society today. In this informational text, Shelby
Ostergaard discusses the characteristics of dystopian fiction and how the genre comments on
society.

As you read, take notes on themes commonly found in dystopian fiction.

[1] Walking through carnivals, we love to laugh at

the versions of ourselves that appear in the
funhouse mirror. We delight in taking selfies
with filters that artificially bulge out our noses
or shrink our mouths. But sometimes these
distortions1 take on a deeper meaning and
force us to notice things about ourselves. You
don’t notice that your nose is a little large until
you take a picture with that filter and
compare. The version of yourself in the mirror
shows you things about yourself. "One Nation Under CCTV" by Tom Blackwell is
licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Dystopias are usually constructed through
this type of magnification. But the subject matter goes far deeper than noses and lips. Authors
take troubling aspects of their own society and imagine a world where they are taken to the
extreme. The 21st century tendency to over-document through the use of technology becomes
a compulsion2 acted out through a literal recording of our memories. An invasive state
becomes one that criminalizes thoughts. A love of reality television and a saturation3 of
violence becomes a society where teens are forced to fight to the death for entertainment.
Because of how they are constructed, dystopias are often seen as a desperate warning sign.
The truth is, dystopian fiction presents a funhouse mirror of our collective selves. It forces the
audience to stare, transfixed,4 at the small flaws which, in the mirror, have become pronounced

1. Distort (verb) to twist something out of its original shape, form, or meaning
2. Compulsion (noun) an irresistible urge to behave in a certain way
3. Saturate (verb) to fill up completely with something
4. Transfix (verb) to make someone motionless with awe or terror

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 enough to produce a monster.

HISTORY OF DYSTOPIAS

The term dystopia stems from another word: utopia. The English word utopia comes from the
Greek “ou-” (οὐ) meaning “not” and “topos” (τόπος) meaning “place.” It translates literally to ‘no
place’, or nowhere. Thomas More coined the term in 1516 when he published a book that
described a perfect fictional island society. He titled the book Utopia to emphasize that he was
describing a made-up place that he considered perfect. The perfection that More, and other
philosophers who wrote about utopias, imagined was never intended to be real. Philosophers
from More to Plato understood that the perfection they wrote about did not exist in reality, it
was ‘no place.’

If you think of dystopian literature as holding up a funhouse mirror to society, you can also
think of utopian literature as retouching a photo of society. The overly perfected image is less
concerned with reality than with showing us an unobtainable perfection.

[5] But, by the 1900s, for the first time in human history, perfection like that seemed possible for
society. Technological advances had spurred on the industrial revolution. Philosophers and
politicians saw this automation5 and, for the first time, a vision of a world without difficult,
toiling, physical labor seemed not only possible, but likely. Economic theories envisioned a
world without staggering class inequality or crippling poverty. At the turn of the century, the
predominant view was that humanity constantly progressed. History was seen as one long
forward march that would lead, inevitably, to perfection. However, throughout the 1900s, no
matter how much humanity progressed, perfection was never achieved. The promises of
technology and sociopolitical6 theory only resulted in war, poverty, famine, and chaos.

As the century progressed, authors began to question the idea that societies should be
attempting perfection at all by writing dystopian fiction. Dystopia stems from two Greek words
that translate to ‘bad place.’ It describes a fictional setting that the author finds horrifying. But,
unlike other genres, dystopias prod the audience into examining contemporary political and
social structures. Dystopian authors argued that the pursuit of perfection will inevitably lead
not to ‘no place’ but to a ‘bad place’, because of flaws within the system. And they made it their
business to use fiction to hold up funhouse mirrors to magnify those flaws and force discussion
about them.

5. the use of machines and automatic equipment in a production process

6. Sociopolitical (adjective) relating to the combination or interaction of social and political
factors

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 COMMON THEMES AND STYLISTIC CHOICES

Since two of the most famous dystopian novels, 1984 and Brave New World, first gripped the
world, their themes have been successfully reproduced in other wildly successful dystopias, like
The Handmaid's Tale and The Hunger Games. The success of TV shows like Black Mirror and video
games like BioShock reflect our continued fascination with the worst paths our society could
take. Both famous and lesser known dystopian works of art have common themes and stylistic
choices.

George Orwell’s 1984 is arguably the best known dystopian novel. It was written in 1949 as a
description of what the year 1984 could look like if totalitarianism 7were allowed to continue.
Orwell describes a province of Oceania (formerly known as Great Britain) as an industrialized
wasteland, dirty and rigidly controlled by a political regime known as the Party. He magnifies
disturbing trends he saw in his own time, like surveillance, 8government control, and
industrialization 9to show how negative they were. Despite the promise that people in his own
time saw, Orwell pointed out the flaws these ideas had. 1984, and other dystopias that examine
surveillance, magnify how people act differently when someone is watching. As technology
allows for the constant possibility that someone might always be watching you — whether it’s
the government, your friends, or your family — and that you might act differently in response
to this. If it is possible to be under surveillance at any time, people act as if they are always
under surveillance. Dystopias often magnify this idea to show how surveillance erodes
freedom.

Another common theme in dystopian fiction revolves around the downside of human
intervention in health and genetics. Throughout the entirety of history, humans have suffered
from illness and poor health. Sometimes this occurs in huge bursts, such as the Spanish
Influenza in 1918, which killed more people than WWI. More often it is a simple result of aging.
However, scientists now believe that the first person who will live to 150 has already been born
and that the eradication10 of diseases like cancer and influenza are within our reach. In
addition, genetic research offers the possibility of eliminating killers like heart disease and
chronic diseases like asthma. Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and the 1997 movie Gattaca
explore the possibilities of this type of progress. Both examine themes around what happens to
humanity when too many natural obstacles are removed, or when genetic engineering can
eliminate flaws. Brave New World, and other dystopias that examine health and genetics,
magnify what happens when humans don’t face natural problems and when differences in
genetics are treated as differences in destiny.

7. absolute and total control by the state

8. Surveillance (noun) the careful and continuous watching of a person or group
9. Industrialization (noun) the process by which the economy of a region shifts away from
agriculture and toward manufacturing
10. Eradicate (verb) to end or destroy something completely

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[10] Dystopian literature also often chooses to magnify the perils11 of misinformation. Characters in
dystopias are often told incorrect information about history by their governments or their
society. For example, most of the characters in The Hunger Games have an incorrect
understanding of what life in the other Districts is like. Characters in dystopias are often given
incorrect information and isolated from anyone they could confirm or discuss the information
with. People in our world are also often given poor information and are too isolated to
investigate the information. Dystopian literature highlights why this is a problem. Because of
the information they are given, characters in dystopias act differently. They can be convinced to
hate people they have things in common with or to be happy with the meager life they have
because they are convinced it is far better than what existed in the past. In dystopian literature,
misinformation helps to keep inefficient and unfair systems in place because characters are
convinced that they are efficient and fair.

A final theme in dystopian literature is lack of individuality. One of the most striking images
from The Handmaid’s Tale is the dress code. Women are forced to wear outfits that correspond
to their social status, and no one is given any choice. In some dystopias, the lack of choice is
enforced by the government. In others, it is enforced by friends and social codes or enforced
through a corporation, like in the 2008 movie Wall-E. Authors of dystopias who imagine a world
without individuality are concerned with the idea that the wisdom of the crowd can stifle the
wisdom of the individual. Authors often choose to magnify this trait by emphasizing lack of
choice in simple items, like clothing, food, or toothpaste. This showcases lack of choice and
individuality in larger areas, like family structure or careers.

Dystopias tend to have common themes and styles because they reflect the society that we live
in. Surveillance is frequently a theme in dystopian literature because we are continually worried
about it. The dark side of too much health and genetics research is a common theme because
technology furthers the possibilities of genetics and health research every day. Misinformation,
totalitarianism, and lack of individuality are all problems that exist in the world that authors are
writing in. Dystopias are the dark side of our dreams. There are common themes and stylistic
choices because all of the distorted mirrors that authors are holding up are trying to show us
the same things. They are trying to give us the same warnings — what the world might look like
if we take our quest for perfection too far.

"Someone Might Be Watching — An Introduction to Dystopian Fiction" by Shelby Ostergaard.

Copyright © 2017 by CommonLit, Inc. This text is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Unless otherwise noted, this content is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license

11. Peril (noun) serious and immediate danger

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 Text-Dependent Questions
Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete
sentences.

1. PART A: Which of the following identifies the author's main claim in the text?
A. Dystopian fiction exaggerates existing problems in our reality to show
readers what could happen if society continues down a certain path.
B. Both utopian and dystopian fiction are used to warn readers about the
risks of attempting to alter a society in any way.
C. While dystopian fiction is entertaining to read, it doesn't reflect realistic
concerns with our current society, or a possible future society.
D. Both Utopian and dystopian fiction are used to distort reality to the point
in which it is no longer recognizable or realistic.

2. PART B: Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?
A. "Walking through carnivals, we love to laugh at the versions of ourselves
that appear in the funhouse mirror." (Paragraph 1)
B. "The perfection that More, and other philosophers who wrote about
utopias, imagined was never intended to be real." (Paragraph 3)
C. "Dystopian authors argued that the pursuit of perfection will inevitably
lead not to 'no place' but to a 'bad place', because of flaws within the
system." (Paragraph 6)
D. "Women are forced to wear outfits that correspond to their class, and no
one is given any choice. In some dystopias, the lack of choice is enforced
by the government." (Paragraph 11)

3. How does the author's discussion of George Orwell's 1984 contribute to the text
(Paragraph 8)?
A. It shows how our society can avoid becoming the world depicted in 1984.
B. It proves how unrealistically dystopian fiction portrays social and political
issues.
C. It stresses how inevitable it is for our society to become the society
depicted in 1984.
D. It gives examples of how dystopian fiction is based on what the author
observed in reality.

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4. How does the description of the 1900s in paragraphs 5-6 help us understand the
qualities of dystopian literature?

5. How does the author use the analogy of "funhouse mirrors" to help readers
understand dystopian fiction?

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 Discussion Questions
Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be
prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion.

1. Have you ever read a dystopian novel, or seen a dystopian film? What about the book
or film made it a form of dystopian fiction? How did it affect you and your perception
of society?

2. In the context of this text, how does dystopian fiction present the power of fear? How
could dystopian or utopian fiction be used to manipulate readers?

3. In the context of the text, what will the future look like? Are either dystopian or
utopian texts realistic possibilities for the future? Why or why not?

4. In the context of the text, what are the costs and benefits of technology? Why do you
think dystopian fiction focuses on the costs of technology? Do the costs of
technology outweigh the benefits?

5. In the context of the text, can we control our fate? Do you think authors of dystopian
fiction believe that their writing has the ability to change the course of human
progress? How does dystopian fiction impact the future?