Dystopian Discussions

In my previous post "Eco-Dystopias and Climate Fiction," I discussed the relationship between dystopias and the environment and how that reflects and adjusts the way we interact and talk about nature outside of the fiction. We're revisiting this topic, as many of my classmates addressed these ideas differently, and it is worth adding these ideas to the discussions. While I focused mostly on the sub-genre of eco-dystopian novels and climate fiction, my peers discussed the ideas of nature and the environment in much broader terms. Specifically, many of them presented their ideas through the New Materialism lens, focusing on the breakdown of the human-nature dichotomy. A Change of Perspective An ongoing theme from both mine and my classmates blogs, is the New Materialist emphasis on "nature" referring to not only the flora/fauna definition of nature, but to extend that meaning to include economic environment, political environment, and even man-made environment

Something I've mentioned throughout these blogs, is the idea of dystopian fiction reflecting and exaggerating current real world issues, viewpoints and laws. They provided a political and social commentary, usually making criticisms about current trends, religions, cultural norms, or political systems. Additionally, they allow the writers and their audience to express fears and concerns about the future, especially in uncertain times. This has been a common theme since the start of the genre, with early works expressing concerns of nuclear fallout and fascist governments, such as 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 . Works such as The Handmaid's Tale  written in 1986 has references and inspiration from the second-wave feminist movement and the sexual liberation of the 1960's and 1970's, as well as incorporating threats of post-nuclear environments. More modern dystopian novels use a combination of climate change and political movements as the founding material. As many of these nov

Utopias/Dystopias The word dystopia was born out of the word "utopia." Utopias are described as an ideal word, but ironically, the literal translation of this word is "no place" (1). This translation became more apparent as technological advances consistently gave humans the opportunities to create utopias, but instead only resulted in wars, oppression, and greater inequalities, creating the concept of dystopias. Dystopias are defined as "an imagined society with suffering or injustice, typically totalitarian or post-apocalyptic" (2). Common ideas in dystopian fiction include a belief that shapes society, usually enforced by propaganda; constant surveillance and fear within society, as well as fear of the outside world; dehumanization of the oppressed; and forced conformity. This artwork depicts the relationship of how utopias in fictions are often, in reality, dystopian society's for the majority of it's citizens. (3) What Separates Dys

Defining Nature Nature and environment have many meanings depending on what lens we choose to look at it through. The traditional dictionary meaning of nature is "all the animals, plants, rocks etc. in the world and all the features, forces and processes that happen or exist independently of people" (1). This definition highlights humans as apart from nature, rather than a part of nature. Further, the environment is most commonly thought of in a natural setting. However, this dualistic approach ignores how both humans and nature interact with and impact each other. Another way to look at nature and the environment is to acknowledge it as not something humans are apart from, but something we are a part of. This connection changes and affects the way we interpret our world, as well influencing our pop-culture. The Rising Tide of Climate Fiction One way we see these human and nature coming together is in the increased popularity of climate fiction, or dystopias where the