My release from two days ago is the second story in The Underground series, which takes place in a dystopian world where a corporation runs the city, changing the laws to best suit them. And that got me thinking about the recent popularity of dystopian worlds in fiction and film.
Is this what our future holds? A world where everything has been destroyed, and remnants of humanity must figure out how to survive again? Or what about a world where social classes are further defined as in The Hunger Games? Will corporations run the cities rather than a government of the people? Will the government control who we are allowed to marry as in Matched? Will there be domes that keep communities confined, keeping them safe from destruction or separating them from the rest of the world? What about aliens? Will they take over the world, leaving humans to survive on the fringe?
These are just some of the examples of the future world in dystopian stories I have read. Is this what we believe future generations will experience?
Or perhaps these dystopias offer readers and viewers something different. In all of these stories, good triumphs over evil, people survive and live on. It may take the entire series rather than one story, but it does happen. These stories are ultimate survival stories, extreme situations that have the world, not just a few, fighting to stay alive and find a happy ending. Do we as readers want more than just the regular old troupes? Personally, I enjoy a variety of stories, but I find I'm cheering for society as a whole at the end of any dystopian fiction, rather than just a few characters in other stories.
Tell me: Do you enjoy dystopian fiction? What is it that draws you to the genre? And what differences do you find in these stories verses other genres?
Bio:
Jessica Subject is the author of contemporary and science fiction romance, ranging from sweet to erotica. In her stories, you could meet clones, or a sexy alien or two. You may even be transported to another planet for a romantic rendezvous.When Jessica isn't reading, writing, or doing dreaded housework, she likes to get out and walk. Fast. But she just may slow down if there is a waterfall nearby.
Jessica lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and two energetic children. And she loves to hear from her readers. You can find her at jessicasubject.com and on twitter @jsubject.
5 comments:
I hadn't realized the heatwave assaulted you as well. Here Ive been wishing for some nice cool Canadian Air when I should have gone further up and wished for Artic Air. Or are they having a heat wave as well?
Stay hydrated so you survive double tour and heatwave.
I don't like dystopian stories or movies. I prefer to believe that we're smarter than to destroy our world. Yet, look at the extreme weather we've been experiencing. A regular cycle or the result of neglect and/or deliberate pollution on our part?
Movies like Matrix and The Book of Eli demonstrate that we can survive.
Hi Liza! Yes, we did get the aweful heat up here. I live in the part of Ontario that dips down into the US, so we experience the same weather. Artic is above the jet stream. It won't be freezing there, but definitely cooler and not as humid.
Hello Diane! I like to think we are smarter, too, but there are some news stories about world leaders, that make me wonder.
I recently read The Last Policeman, a detective story with the premise being that a massive comet is on course to hit the world in a few months. The mystery was OK but the idea of what happens to the world when we know we're all going to die soon was absolutely compelling. Who goes to work, who leaves their family, who commits suicide rather than wait. Dystopia can be amazingly thought-provoking.
Hi KJ! That's very true. How individuals react in extreme situations can very greatly. It's always interesting to see the characters I tend to relate to, maybe because that's how I'd react, or at least, hope to react.
Post a Comment