What Is Dystopian Fiction?

What Is

Dystopian Fiction?

Colvin 6-8th Language Arts

Information from ReadWriteThink.org

• R.1.1: Analyze the impact of setting on character development and plot

• We will be able to identify the setting (time & place) of a dystopian text

• We will be able to analyze how the setting impacts the characters.

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Standard &

Objectives

• oppressive: unjustly inflicting hardship and constraint

• contemporary: belonging to the present

• tone: author's feelings towards their subject

• connotation: the implied meaning of a word or phrase

• foreshadowing: a warning or hint about future events

• irony: difference between expectation and reality

​Vocabulary

Copy down all vocab words into your notes.

• Dystopian fiction is contemporary science fiction in which the protagonist deals with some type of controlling force.

• Dystopian stories tend to have a dark or bleak tone.

• Authors tend to write dystopian fiction as a criticism of some part of society.

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​Dystopian Fiction

Dystopia

What is a "dystopia"?

To understand dystopian fiction, we need to know what a dystopia is.

• A dystopia is a futuristic society where people live under some type of oppressive control.

• In dystopias, there is a severe lack of freedom due to someone being in control.

Elements of a Dystopian Story

These elements are important in a dystopian story:

• The setting of story is in the future

• Consequences are exaggerated (like being killed for being smart)

• One of four types of control:

1. ​Technology: society controlled by computers, robots, etc.

2. Bureaucratic: the government has total control over citizens

3. Philosophical: philosophical or religious ideology controls society and is strictly enforced

4. Corporate: one or more businesses have become powerful and control society

Dystopian Protagonist

In a dystopian narrative, the protagonist typically:

• Questions authority and/or rules of society

• Feels trapped and thinks of escape

• Believes that something is terribly wrong

• Helps the audience see negative aspects of dystopian world

Foreshadowing, Hyperbole & Irony

Readers of dystopian stories should expect to see foreshadowing, hyperbole and irony. These are important to dystopian stories because they help to magnify the dark tone.

• Foreshadowing increases the tension in a narrative by giving hints to the reader

• Hyperbole--extreme exaggerations--increases the tension by exaggerating consequences in the narrative

• Irony increases tension by showing the opposite outcomes

Time to Review

Use the notes that you have taken to help you answer the following questions.

Multiple Choice

What is a hyperbole?

• a comparison

• an exaggeration

• an image

• a symbol

Multiple Choice

Something is "contemporary" if it is...

• from the past

• from the present

• from the future

Multiple Choice

The tone of the text is...

• how the author feels about their subject

• how the reader feels about the subject

• how the reader feels about the author

Match

Match the following types of dystopian control with the best definition.

• Bureaucratic

• Philosophical

• Corporate

• Technological

total government control over citizens

ideology is strictly enforced

one or more businesses control society

society controlled through computers, robots, or other means

• total government control over citizens

• ideology is strictly enforced

• one or more businesses control society

• society controlled through computers, robots, or other means

Multiple Choice

You just read a story that was written in 2016. The story is about a village controlled by an evil queen and the setting of the story is in 1765. Is this a dystopian story?

• Yes, because it shows bureaucratic control (the queen).

• No, because it's not a contemporary story.

• Yes, because it is a contemporary story.

• No, because the setting is not in the future.

Dropdown

A dystopian story must take place in the ​

Select answer

, show some type of extreme ​

Select answer

, and have exaggerated ​

Select answer

.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following are considered dystopian fiction?

• Alice in Wonderland

• The Hunger Games

• The Hate U Give

• The Raven

Multiple Choice

What sub-genre would dystopian fiction fall under?

• romantic fiction

• historical fiction

• science fiction

• drama

Open Ended

In your own words, write one sentence explaining what dystopian fiction is. Use your notes to help you.