Dystopian vs. Utopian

by Adam Huddleston

The literary terms this week are dystopian and utopian. They are mirror opposites and refer to a future that is either bleak and imperfect, or ideal and beautiful, respectively.

In a dystopian society, government may be either oppressive or completely absent. Citizens are often severely divided among economic lines. There is typically an individual or small group that rises up against the powers that be. Examples include: 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

Utopian societies usually include an overall happiness in the populace. This is a future that is perfect or close to it. The point is to express to the reader the faults in our current society. Although I haven’t read these, examples include: New Jerusalem by Samuel Gott and News from Nowhere by William Morris.