dystopian novel
Quick Summary
A dystopian novel is a literary genre that depicts a fictional society characterized by dehumanization, fear, and oppression. These novels often serve as cautionary tales, critiquing current societal trends or political systems by projecting them into a grim future.
Key characteristics include:
* Oppressive societal control: Often through totalitarian governments, advanced technology, or rigid social structures.
* Loss of individuality: Citizens are frequently stripped of personal freedoms, critical thinking, and emotional expression.
* Environmental or social collapse: The setting may be a world ravaged by war, pollution, or societal breakdown.
Notable examples include Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-four, which explore the dangers of conformity and authoritarianism, respectively.1234
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
- Yevgeny Zamyatin
…of a uniquely modern genre—the anti-Utopian novel. His influence as an experimental stylist and as an exponent of the cosmopolitan-humanist traditions of the European intelligentsia was very great in the earliest and most creative period of Soviet literature.
Read More…of a uniquely modern genre—the anti-Utopian novel. His influence as an experimental stylist and as an exponent of the cosmopolitan-humanist traditions of the European intelligentsia was very great in the earliest and most creative period of Soviet literature.
Read More
Russian literatureExperiments in the 1920sA modern literary genre, the dystopia, was invented by Yevgeny Zamyatin in his novel My (1924; We), which could be published only abroad. Like Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-four, which are modeled on it, We describes a future socialist society that has turned out to…
Read MoreA modern literary genre, the dystopia, was invented by Yevgeny Zamyatin in his novel My (1924; We), which could be published only abroad. Like Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-four, which are modeled on it, We describes a future socialist society that has turned out to…
Read More




