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Dystopian LiteratureDystopian literature is a literary genre focused on postapocalyptic, totalitarian, or otherwise oppressive societies. Its stories often take place in the future, though its writers often comment on the present.
The word "dystopia" is derived from the Greek for "bad place." It's an inversion of "utopia," a term popularized by Sir Thomas More in his 1516 book, "Utopia," which imagined an ideal society free of want. The modern dystopian story does not just take place in an undesirable setting; it also features an oppressive power structure that claims to offer utopia, with one of the earliest examples being Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels."
The international conflicts of World War I and World War II inspired some of dystopian literature's most influential novels as writers encountered the utopian promises of fascism and communism. In the decades to follow, more writers would follow the example of those early novels, using the dystopian model to critique artificial intelligence, climate change, and more.Explore Dystopian Literature
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Improve your typing speed by retyping classic literatureWhy practice with nonsense letters and syllables when you can retype full books you always wanted to read, from Jane Austen and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to George Orwell and W.E.B. duBois. And it's free. TypeLitJRR Tolkien believed fantasy literature was an entirely different worldTolkien effectively invented modern fantasy, which often relies on an intricate universe, complete with its own languages, cultures, lifeforms, physics, and systems. When an author did this effectively, he called it “Faërie”—a sort of enchantment that transports the reader into the fictional world. Literary HubExistentialist literature explores the philosophy's ideasExistentialism isn’t confined to philosophical texts. Some of the movement’s figureheads, like Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre, were also novelists. Christina Howells, Professor of French at the University of Oxford, suggests this is because existentialism, as a philosophy, requires human stories to be fully understood, and literature makes the experience of the human condition more present and immediate. In Our Time: PhilosophyTwain read (and lampooned) classic literatureEver the ironist, Twain claimed to have “ no liking for novels or stories.” Obviously, that was untrue: He read widely, devouring books by Charles Dickens, slave narratives, and texts on astronomy. He also loved John Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” which he called “something everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read.” Smithsonian MagazineMany consider Twain 'the father of American literature'In "Green Hills of Africa," Ernest Hemingway declared that all modern American literature sprang from Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." That's a sentiment shared by many scholars, who assert that Twain's book changed American fiction by challenging the country's racist history and incorporating a more realistic vernacular. HISTORYDystopian literature is a form of speculative fictionThe classification includes any fiction that "speculates" about how society might operate in the future or in contexts different from the present reality. The genre is an umbrella term for science fiction, fantasy, alternative historical fiction, dystopian and utopian fiction, and apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction. JSTOR DailyThe color blue is almost never mentioned in ancient Greek literatureLinguists have noted blue is regularly the last color to enter the language of most cultures. Researchers guess that the color's rarity in living organisms is partly the cause of its linguistic absence. AsapSCIENCEHorror evolved from Gothic literatureAlthough creepy tales can be found in nearly every folk tradition, the roots of modern horror can be traced back to Gothic literature, which focused on the battle between humans and unnatural, evil forces. The New York Public LibraryJean-Paul Sartre rejected his Nobel Prize for literatureSartre won the award in 1964, but refused it, explaining, "The writer must therefore refuse to let himself be transformed into an institution, even if this occurs under the most honorable circumstances, as in the present case." Open Culture'The grotesque' describes a feature of Gothic literatureThe term harkens back to decorative aspects of Gothic architecture, including mythical creatures like gargoyles. In literature, the grotesque describes similarly monstrous characters and situations. The Gothic LibraryFlannery O’Connor is a major figure in American literatureIn her lifetime, O’Connor wrote 31 short stories and two novels. She was awarded three O. Henry Awards, the most prestigious honor for a short story writer. In 1972, she was posthumously awarded the National Book Award for her “Collected Stories.” Flannery O'Connor HomeWalt Whitman helped define the voice and spirit of American literatureThe 19th-century poet is considered one of the most important voices in the American canon. His collection “Leaves of Grass,” in particular, is regarded as a foundational text and is widely taught in American high schools and colleges. The Poetry FoundationA literary critic on why classic Russian literature mattersGary Saul Morson has spent his life studying Russian writers like Fyodor Dostoevsky and Leo Tolstoy. In this 2022 talk at Hillsdale College, Morson focuses on classic texts like "The Brothers Karamazov" and "War and Peace," suggesting these Russian novels had as much to say about their home country as they did about the larger world. Most importantly, he argues, they still have much to offer modern readers. Hillsdale CollegeIn 2012, the Pulitzer Board chose not to award a prize for literatureThe literary world was shocked in 2012 when, for the first time in more than three decades, the Pulitzer Board decided not to award a prize for literature. The jury had selected three finalists (Karen Russell's "Swamplandia!," David Foster Wallace's "The Pale King," and Denis Johnson's "Train Dreams) but no winner. Supposedly FunEight ways literature can make us happierNovels are often characterized as a form of cultural escape, but psychologists argue there are health benefits to the many elements comprising fiction. The Greek philosopher Aristotle explored this in his "Poetics," asking if literature was something meant to make us happier. This article highlights eight different innovations common to literature that provide psychological benefits, including the plot twist and more. Smithsonian MagazineWriter DH Lawrence argued that the novel is the height of literatureDH Lawrence was a 20th-century writer, known for his novel “Lady Chatterley’s Lover.” In his essay “Why the Novel Matters,” written in 1925, Lawrence argues that the novel, more than any other literary form, allows readers to experience the whole of human experience, writing that “only in the novel are all things given full play.” University of TorontoWhy dystopian literature remains popularYale English professor Joe Cleary argues that dystopian literature’s continued relevance is due to a torrent of additional societal anxieties and that the streaming adaptations of dystopian classics "The Handmaid’s Tale" and "The Man in the High Castle" have expanded the genre’s popularity, introducing new audiences to its tropes. Yale UniversityDystopian literature is focused on oppressive societiesThe subgenre can come in many forms, but its shared traits are the way it reflects the anxieties and satirizes the utopian thinking of its writers’ societies. One of the earliest examples is Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels." TED-EdThe Nobel Prizes honor global achievements in science, literature, and peace effortsEstablished by Alfred Nobel’s will, the Nobel Prizes have been awarded since 1901 to individuals and organizations making major contributions to humanity. Although often grouped with the five original prizes, the economics award was added later by Sweden’s central bank in 1968 and isn't technically a Nobel Prize. 1440Find more of your favorite novelists with this literature mapFind your next favorite novelist. Type in an author and this program will present a map of dozens of authors. The closer the names, the more alike they are. The Tourist Map of Literature14 famous authors trash-talking classic booksJust because something's considered a "classic" doesn't mean it's universally loved. Even the world's most respected writers don't agree on what defines great literature. Look no further than this list of writers criticizing canonical texts, like Charlotte Brontë deriding Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" or Virginia Woolf on James Joyce's "Ulysses." The most succinct might be Aldous Huxley on Jack Kerouac's "On the Road": "I got a little bored after a time. I mean, the road seemed to be awfully long." Literary HubA guide to the major figures of the Harlem RenaissanceThe Harlem Renaissance was a multidisciplinary arts movement that included literature, music, dance, film, theater, photography, visual art, political activism, and more. This primer includes some of its most influential artists, including Oscar Micheaux, Zora Neale Hurston, Paul Robeson, Fats Waller, WEB DuBois, and more, and allows you to explore their lives and major works. Kennedy CenterScholars trace existential anxiety back to early Hebrew scripturesPaul Megna, a scholar of literature and philosophy, notes that the existentialist ideas of Kierkegaard (and, to a lesser extent, Sarte and Camus) had their roots in much earlier texts, which posited that "fear of the Lord" was "the beginning of wisdom." JSTOR DailyOne of the earliest known satires is an ancient Egyptian parody of life advice“The Satire of the Trades” mocks the then-popular “wisdom literature,” which imparted life advice. In the text, a father, a scribe, explains why his son should work the same job, detailing the miseries of several other lines of work. His ultimate argument is that it’s best to be a manager rather than a worker: “See, there is no office free from supervisors except the scribe's. He is the supervisor!” Worldhistory.orgOne teacher's lesson on existentialism and social media useDuring a unit on existentialist literature and philosophy, one teacher at Massachusetts’ Phillips Academy asked students to surrender their cell phones to test Kierkegaard’s thoughts on the danger of conformity and Sartre’s belief that humans are “condemned to be free.” Many of them were surprised to find how liberated they felt once they left behind social media. Kappan OnlineThe first 3D printing patent was filed in 1967Wyn Swainson, an English literature graduate student, filed a patent in Denmark for a system that scans an object and uses the scanning data to rebuild it using lasers that harden light-sensitive plastic. However, he never developed a working prototype. The idea originated from wanting to produce recreations of sculptures. Guinness World RecordsAn early literary mention of a New Year's kiss dates to the 14th centuryThe medieval poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” includes a description of a New Year’s party where women are planning on giving “New Year’s gifts” to men. Scholars say it’s implied that the “gifts” are kisses. Reader's DigestPatti Smith's 'Horses' was the first album from the CBGB sceneThe poet’s debut album, released in 1975, blended literature and the early New York punk sound. Smith called the combination “three chords merged with the power of the word.” Throughout the album, she references and repurposes earlier rock hits (including Them’s “Gloria” and Chris Kenner’s “Land of 1,000 Dances”). PitchforkScience fiction or new technology?Dystopian literature is no longer relegated to the page, with innovations like the Tesla Cybertruck and Meta virtual reality headsets mirroring the aesthetics of texts like "The Running Man" and "Neuromancer." In this essay, Casey Michael Henry argues that the images from these works remain while their messages have faded. The New York Times'Harry Potter’ transformed the young adult publishing industryThe series’ success reshaped the market for youth fiction. In 1997, about 3,000 young adult titles were published annually. By 2009, that number soared to 30,000 as publishers chased the next major phenomenon. Encyclopedia BritannicaIn Iowa, Flannery O'Connor decided to pursue creative writingO’Connor enrolled in a master’s program in journalism at the University of Iowa, intending to pursue political cartooning, but quickly switched to creative writing. Her thesis was a collection of stories called “The Geranium.” The title story was eventually her first published piece. American LiteratureRobert Browning memorialized the marathon myth in a 19th-century poemThe story of Pheidippides is not likely true, but that hasn’t stopped the story from spreading. Much of that is thanks to Robert Browning, who enshrined the myth for a new generation in a 1879 poem that described the man dying after delivering word of the victory. Online LiteratureDreams have long been used for religious and political powerClassic literature and mythology attests to the crucial role dreams play in narratives, from the Virgin Birth to the prophetic visions of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The heightened state of dreaming and its analog, hallucinating, have long held special power over the collective imagination. AeonPostmodernism is a cultural movement that valued pluralismPostmodernism is an artistic movement (in architecture, fashion, music, literature, and more) that embraced fragmentation, eclecticism, pastiche, and pluralism. The movement's practitioners reacted against modernism, which valued Enlightenment ideals, high culture, and clean aesthetics. Victoria and Albert MuseumEugene O'Neill is the lone American playwright to win the Nobel PrizeThe writer was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1936, with the prize committee noting "the power, honesty, and deep-felt emotions of his dramatic works, which embody an original concept of tragedy." the GuardianWhitman revolutionized American poetryWhitman was a groundbreaking force in American literature, legitimizing the national idiom, capturing the spirit of the evolving country, and inspiring younger generations of writers for centuries to follow. BiographyWhat is free verse?Free verse is a style of poetry that does not conform to any set meter or rhyme scheme. In essence, it’s poetry whose form has been created by the poet. OSU School of Writing, Literature and FilmPostmodern novels challenged narrative itselfPostmodernism describes the cultural movement following World War II, which found artists and thinkers responding to the horrors of the war by challenging the conventional narratives they believed allowed for it. In literature, postmodernist writers played with genre, gallows humor, and intertextuality, interrogating the form itself. EBSCOToni Morrison's novels were popular postmodern textsToni Morrison’s novels broke new ground in American fiction by using bold structures and colloquial voices to reckon with the country’s past, developing her approach through classic early novels like “The Bluest Eye” and “Beloved,” all the way to later works like “Home.” Morrison once said, “The meaning of a novel is in its structure.” Australian Broadcasting CorporationVirginia Woolf admired 'The Tale of Genji'Widely considered one of the defining voices of modernist literature, Virginia Woolf was known for her experiments with stream-of-consciousness narration, nonlinear storytelling, and psychologically complex characters. In a 1925 essay about Murasaki Shikibu’s “The Tale of Genji,” largely considered the world’s first novel, Woolf explains how Shikibu’s style captures the intricacies of living in ways only the novel can. University of MichiganKing is a major influence on modern genre writersStephen King's influence is felt across literature, film, and television—even outside the many books and adaptations that make up his long and storied career. This podcast features interviews with "Lost" showrunner Damon Lindelof and horror novelist Grady Hendrix, two writers who also happen to be King superfans. The New York Times Book Review PodcastAllen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, and Neal Cassady were early BeatsWorks like Ginsberg’s "Howl" and Kerouac’s "On the Road" redefined literature, inspiring countercultural movements for several decades. 1440The Beat Generation, explainedThe Beat Generation challenged societal norms in the 1950s by embracing experimental writing and tackling taboo topics like drug use, spirituality, and nonconformity. Figures like Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and Diane di Prima sparked a cultural movement that rejected traditional literary forms and explored the hidden struggles of American life. 1440‘Blank verse’ is an unrhymed poetic form with a consistent meter common in epicsShakespeare’s plays are primarily written in blank verse, a consistent meter without any rhyme scheme. The mode is common in epic poems like Homer’s Iliad or John Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” though the specific meters vary. OSU School of Writing, Literature and FilmWhy school boards ban dystopian booksJournalist Ali Velshi analyzes the lasting appeal of Lois Lowry’s "The Giver" and George Orwell’s "1984," two dystopian novels that have courted controversy since their publications. Beyond his interpretations, though, Velshi wants to understand why school boards perennially ban these books—and what makes them so fascinating for adolescent readers. In his search, he talks to Lowry about the lasting influence of her novel and to Orwell expert James McCallister about the prescient political portrait in "1984." Velshi Banned Book ClubDystopian satire became more prominent in the 20th centuryAlthough "anti-utopian" stories have always existed, the international conflicts of World War I and World War II inspired some of dystopian literature’s most influential novels, like Yevgeny Zamyatin’s "We," Aldous Huxley’s "Brave New World," and George Orwell’s "1984." In the decades to follow, more writers would follow the example of those early novels, using the dystopian model to critique artificial intelligence, climate change, and more. Electric LiteratureThe Beats autobiographical impulse is still influentialThe Beats autobiographical approach to literature is seen in contemporary autofiction. While autofiction emerged as a literary term in the 1970s, its philosophy has several antecedents, including Colette’s Claudine novels, Marcel Proust’s "In Search of Lost Time" and Beat writer Jack Kerouac’s "On the Road." The ConversationBeats emphasized the importance of 'spontaneous prose'Beat writer Jack Kerouac believed literature should aim to be more like jazz, using improvisation to burrow down to the root of the subconscious. In this video from the University of Pennsylvania’s Modern and Contemporary Poetry course, Professor Al Filreis directs a conversation of Kerouac’s manifesto, “Essential of Spontaneous Prose.” University of Pennsylvania’s ModPoChatGPT may struggle with factual inaccuracies, despite writing accurately in EnglishIn a classroom experiment, a journalist enrolled in an AP English Literature course submitted an essay written by ChatGPT, which confused characters and setting when comparing two texts. The tool was also unfamiliar with texts outside of its training data. Wall Street JournalThe warrior women of Ancient Scythia who inspired the Greek AmazonsGreek literature regales readers with tales of Amazon queens and warriors going toe-to-toe with heroes, including Achilles and Hercules. This article explores why these female warriors were relegated to myth. For a long while, it was believed that these stories about all-female warriors were just stories. But scientists have since found evidence that these ancient warriors were part of the nomadic tribes of Scythia, and more discoveries are expected. Discover
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