Abstract | Utopia is a word coined by Thomas More and it signifies a perfect imaginary society. John Stuart Mill coined the word dystopia, which basically denotes a bad imaginary society. Dystopias are written because writers want to warn the society of potential negative consequences the current situation may cause. Heterotopia is a haven for protagonists of dystopian novels, which is often found in their memories. The most common themes of dystopian novels are eugenics, socialism, totalitarianism, and scientific and technological progress. George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four is a dystopian novel because it deals with a totalitarian state in which science is used against the majority of people. In the novel, history is rewritten and manipulated by the Party; all forms of art that do not promote the Party or Big Brother are forbidden, and the society is divided into Big Brother, the Inner and the Outer Party, and the proles. People are always being watched, and the Party uses fear, psychological games, and violence to make people obey. Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is a dystopian novel because it describes the lives of artificially created people who live in a World State where the society is divided into castes. Babies are made thanks to ectogenesis, raised by nurses using conditioning and hypnopaedia, and taught to indulge in sexual freedom, worship Henry Ford, and consume soma and as much other goods as they can. Nobody is interested in history; art is considered a waste of time and it is prohibited, their culture is consumerist, and science and technology run people’s lives. |