Utopian and Dystopian Reading Group discussion

In addition to the very basic definition of utopian and dystopian in the description of the group, I thought it may be worth explaining some of the defining elements and common themes of Utopian Literature as well as points to aid discussion. This is by no means concrete, so please add your own views (or disagree with mine) of what you feel constitutes either utopian or dystopian literature or themes that appear to reoccur in different novels.
For a start here are a few:

1) Perhaps the most important feature to establish is the use of Utopian literature as a medium through which to explore ideas. The construct of a different society allows the freedom to explore, as a kind of speculative ‘fast-forward’ of how a society may be formed with certain changes and restructuring. It is this exploration of ideas that makes Utopian literature a great product of its time, as it comments on the perceived failings of the society from which it stems.

2) Whilst these created Utopias may present very real ideas, their basis in fiction means that challenging and dangerous ideas can be explored in relative safety. This is perhaps why Utopias have been able to address such issues as religion, class and the position of women in society so successfully.

3) The line between a Utopia and a Dystopia is far from solid, and most appear to be open to interpretation. Our opinions are also perhaps changed by the passage of time, if we take for example the use of eugenics in early twentieth-century utopian fiction.

And a couple of points on reoccurring elements:

4) Following in the tradition of More’s Utopia, Utopian literature often features an arduous voyage to a different world. This is to allow for the discussion of a somewhat isolated or undiscovered society which is able to survive without over involvement with other societies. This feature of Utopian literature appears to stem from the tradition of travel writing.

5) The Utopias are often explained through the eyes of an outsider, i.e an explorer from a different society. These outsiders will often be shown the society by some sort of guide. Some later dystopian writings appear to portray the utopia through the perspective of ‘outsiders’ in a different sense, those who are within the society but feel separated from it in some sense (Winston Smith from Nineteen Eighty-four for example).


Please add more!

These are great thoughts, thank you Eve!

It's disturbing to see a lot of these concepts presenting in "dystopian" lit coming to pass...the further along we get in our journey, stuff like Philip Dick, William Gibson, and J.G. Ballard's work seems more and more prophetic.

thanks for the group, look forward to participating!

Thank you for your comment - It's interesting to see how the genre has adapted and changed over the century. I've only read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and Pattern Recognition so I can't comment too much. Although I can see Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep as quite dystopian. I do find it hard to understand the line between Science Fiction, Science Fiction with dystopian or utopian elements, and dystopias. Can you shed any light on this?

The lines are vague but it seems to me that a "dystopian" depiction of the future is generally not a pretty picture, usually pretty bleak. Within the lines a commentary on the contemporary socio-political situation when the book was written can be detected. As in, "this is what we'll wind up with if we keep heading down the road we're on now", so in this sense these books have a political dimension. So if the plot of a given book is dependent on this backdrop, or if an aspect of it is the focus of the book, I suppose one could call that book "dystopian." But this is just my take, as I say it's a vague distinction

"I do find it hard to understand the line between Science Fiction, Science Fiction with dystopian or utopian elements, and dystopias. Can you shed any light on this?"

From the utopia/dystopian readings that I have done, I feel as though in most of these "societies" they take real ideas and then "perfect" them with science or crazy advancements which make that people are living so-called happily, society is functioning, and also why they don't actually realize that they're are missing out on some vital feeling or pleasure of living. I don't know if it is on the list, but "The Giver" by Lois Lowry really clearly shows that (or to myself it did).


I also think that More must have first isolated his island in "Utopia" with some knowledge that a society such as the one he creating would not believable be maintained if there were any outside influences? This idea is talked inbout in "Nineteen Eighty-Four." Although unlike Utopian societies, they welcomed visitors into their community....

The socio-political element seems to be quite a good explanation Nathan, thank you! Although I can imagine there are lot a books you could say were 'kind of' dystopian.

And thank you for the recommendation Kaylan, I'm going to look into "The Giver".

I find More's Utopia a bit of a funny one when it comes to isolation because the community does have relations with its neighbours as far as I can remember. Has anyone read it recently? I think the community relies on outsiders in a way.