dystopias: definions and characteriscsfarragut.bownet.org/draynard/dystopias.pdf · types of...
TRANSCRIPT
Dystopias: Defini.ons and Characteris.cs
Utopia: A place, state, or condi.on that is ideally perfect in respect of poli.cs, laws, customs, and condi.ons
Dystopia Defini.on
A futuris.c, imagined universe in which oppressive societal control and the illusion of a perfect society are maintained through:
corporate, bureaucra,c, technological, moral or totalitarian control.
Dystopia Defini.on
Dystopias, through an exaggerated worst‐case scenario, make a cri.cism about a current trend, societal norm, or poli.cal system.
Characteris.cs of a Dystopian Society
Propaganda is used to control the ci.zens of society.
Informa,on, independent thought, and freedom are restricted.
Characteris.cs of a Dystopian Society
A figurehead or concept is worshipped by the ci.zens of the society.
Characteris.cs of a Dystopian Society
Ci.zens are perceived to be under constant surveillance.
Characteris.cs of a Dystopian Society
Ci.zens have a fear of the outside world.
Characteris.cs of a Dystopian Society
Ci.zens live in a dehumanized state.
The natural world is banished and distrusted.
Characteris.cs of a Dystopian Society
Ci.zens conform to uniform expecta.ons. Individuality and dissent are bad.
Characteris.cs of a Dystopian Society
The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.
Types of Dystopian Controls
Corporate Control: One or more large corpora.ons control society through products, adver.sing, and/or the media. Examples include Minority Report and Running Man.
Types of Dystopian Controls
Bureaucra,c Control: Society is controlled by a mindless bureaucracy through a tangle of red tape, relentless regula.ons, and incompetent government officials. Examples in film include Brazil.
Types of Dystopian Controls
Technological Control: Society is controlled by technology – through computers, robots, and/or scien.fic means. Examples: The Matrix, The Terminator, and I, Robot.
Types of Dystopian Controls
Philosophical/Religious control: Society is controlled by philosophical or religious ideology oKen enforced through a dictatorship or theocra.c government.
The Dystopian Protagonist
OKen feels trapped and is struggling to escape
Ques.ons the exis.ng social and poli.cal systems
The Dystopian Protagonist
Believes or feels that something is terribly wrong with the society in which he or she lives
Helps the audience recognize the nega.ve aspects of the dystopian world through his or her perspec.ve