Dystopia

About: Dystopia is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2146 publications have been published within this topic receiving 15163 citations. The topic is also known as: cacotopia.

The Nature of Revolution on Animal Farm

Abstract: ABSTRACT Revolution as a phenomenon is considered as a way to a complete change of a situation or system of government to a better one. Dose revolution really is the right way to fulfil our dreams and have a better way of life? Or simply it is just changing the face of rulers or the name of the governments. Many writers and novelists wrote about this issue. George Orwell which is considered as apolitical writer, is one of them. He wrote many novels. Animal Farm, as one of them, is an allegorical story of some animals in a farm. They begin a revolution against the humans with the dream of getting rid of Man as the root cause of their problems, and to be rich and free. They have a short period of honeymoon revolution, but then their dream of building a utopian farm crashes by the pigs and would find themselves in dystopia. This paper aims to study the nature of revolution generally in the shed light of human history. Then to explore how this phenomenon is treated by Orwell in his novel. Can we consider revolution as a right way to have a complete change in the political system and thinking of people? The researchers try to illuminate and find answer for those questions by providing examples from the story of Animal Farm.

Mid Twentieth-Century Dystopian Fiction and Political Thought

Abstract: This thesis examines political and social thought in dystopian fiction of the mid-twentieth century It focuses on works by four authors: Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We (1924), Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932), George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), and John Wyndham’s postwar novels (especially The Day of the Triffids (1951), The Kraken Wakes (1953) and The Chrysalids (1955)) The central concern of this thesis is how political and social ideas are developed within a literary mode which evolved as response to both literary concerns and political ideas, including on the one hand literary utopias, science fiction, satire, and literary modernism; and on the other hand modernity, social Darwinism, apocalypse, war, and changes in gender roles in the broader culture It is argued that the narrative structures of these novels are crucial in enabling them to perform such critical tasks These texts use fictionality to enact self-reflexive critiques of the disasters of their age that both acknowledge their own emergence from the post-Enlightenment tradition in the history of political ideas, and criticise the failings of this very tradition of which they are part The work of a variety of critical theorists, including Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, Hannah Arendt and Raymond Williams inform this analysis This thesis aims to demonstrate how comparative readings of critical theory and literature can reveal their mutually interactive significance as cultural reactions to historical events Dystopian fictions of the mid-twentieth century are both important documents in cultural history, and valuable literary examples of the development and diffusion of a plurality of modernisms within popular fiction

Tomorrowland: A World Beyond (Brad Bird 2015)

Abstract: Tomorrowland: A World Beyond (Brad Bird US 2015). Walt Disney Studios 2015. PAL Region 2. 2.20:1. ?17.99.Developed during the 1950s and 1960s, and credited to Walt Disney's authorial vision, the Tomorrowland areas of Disney's theme parks employ (now retro-) futuristic ideas concerning scientific progress, technological advancement and space travel in their aesthetics and attractions (e.g., the famous 'Space Mountain' rollercoaster). Drawing loosely from these presold brand values, Tomorrowland: A World Beyond is a charming sf blockbuster which distinguishes itself from many of its contemporaries via its pleasingly optimistic (albeit ultimately ambiguously coded) tone. However, popular reception of Tomorrowland has been less than favourable, as the film drew a mixed response from critics and was positioned as a box office flop on its release. While gaining favourable reviews in the UK (both the Guardian and movie magazine Empire gave Tomorrowland four stars), US critics were less enamoured, as multiple aspects of the film generated negative evaluations. These included critiques of Tomorrowland 's narrative structure (such as the plot being difficult to summarise and keeping the film's fantastic titular location off-screen for too long), its lack of cynicism (read as being 'too Disney') and the commercially rooted, corporate-synergistic motivations behind the film. Addressing some of these criticisms, I would argue that reviewers have missed the contributions that these devices provide the film and that Tomorrowland should be reconsidered as an interesting sf blockbuster which uses its generic tropes and imagery to engage with issues relating to nostalgia at the same time that it asks audiences to think about how myriad contemporary sociocultural issues shape our collective future.Tomorrowland 's narrative structure splits into three acts. The first, which probably accounts for the critical hostility concerning easy summarisation, adopts a stylised approach by regularly shifting perspective between protagonists Frank Walker (George Clooney) and optimistic teenager Casey Newton (Britt Robertson). These early sequences are essential for various reasons. First, they provide important aspects of character backstory (including the visit of young Frank (Thomas Robinson) to the 1964 World's Fair and his first meeting with both the enigmatic automaton Athena (Raffey Cassidy) and the humourless technocrat David Nix (Hugh Laurie)), as well as giving audiences their first journey through the utopian Tomorrowland location. In addition, and demonstrating the benefits of using intercutting beyond purely stylistic purposes, these scenes establish some of the core narrative oppositions that structure Tomorrowland. The exchanges between Frank and Casey initiate their playfully fractious relationship, which endures throughout, and so alludes to one of Tomorrowland 's ongoing tropes concerning intergenerational conflict. Whereas the majority of adults, such as Frank's dad (Chris Bauer), Nix and, initially at least, Clooney's adult Frank, are cynical and disillusioned, the younger generation, represented by Casey, are cheerful and enthusiastic.Moreover, Frank's recollection of visiting the World's Fair and arriving in Tomorrowland establishes the movie's contrast between the 'past' (and its extrapolated retrofuture) and the 'present' (and its actual, dystopian future) via the film's visual design of its temporal locations. Both 1964 and Tomorrowland are emblematic of how American society continues to remember the post-Second World War era as a time of confidence and innocence where the belief that technological advancement would improve everyone's horizons was unquestioned. Such discourses are connoted through the gleaming chrome and white surfaces used in the World's Fair's visualisation which also transfer to the design of Tomorrowland. The latter is a world of shining surfaces and escalating curved architecture that suggests harmony between man and machine (the frequent use of double-helix structures reinforces this point). …

Literatura distópica e sociedade da informação: Uma análise das menções ao romance 1984 de George Orwell no livro Modernidade Líquida de Bauman

Abstract: It discusses the mentions to George Orwell's novel 1984, made by Zygmunt Bauman in Liquid Modernity (2001). It is based on the possibility of using dystopian literature as an instrument of reflection, in dialogue with theoretical works concerning the information society. The aim of this study is to discuss Bauman's interpretation of 1984 and its suitability as an allegory of the information society. Bauman's allusions to 1984 reveal the presence of concepts, namely: metaphors of 'solid' and 'liquid', informational control, privacy and spectacularization of social life. Recent studies on the information society that refer to 1984 are retrieved and included in the discussion. It follows from this study that, although Bauman supports that Orwell's novel is a characterization of the 'solid' stage of modern society, there are grounds for defending a divergent path of interpretation. The conclusion points to the existence of elements for the consideration of issues relating to the information society in Orwell's novel. It is observed how the literature participates in a relevant way in the effort of critical understanding of the information society.