Speculative fiction has always explored the realms of the unknown and the potential, taking a look at societies that may or may not ever exist. The ultimate idea of speculative fiction is to wonder and to imagine. Of course, there are many different genres that are covered under the speculative fiction term, but today we’ll be focusing on two opposite genres: dystopian fiction and utopian fiction. The two are basically complete opposites, but what makes them so different? For today’s post, we’ll be taking a dive into the world of dystopian fiction, the world of utopian fiction, and why the two are so different.
What is Dystopian Fiction?
Dystopian fiction is a genre that depicts a world where the society at its core is crumbling, decaying, or suffering under the weight of immense oppression and a lack of freedom overall. The word “dystopian” originally comes from the Greek word “dys,” meaning “bad” and “topos,” meaning “place.”
Dystopian fiction depicts worlds that are essentially full of misery. For one reason or another, society has collapsed or is being controlled under some sort of tyrannical regime. Oftentimes, dystopian fiction is also post-apocalyptic fiction.
There are many popular examples of dystopian fiction, and I remember a few years back when there was that YA dystopian craze with books like Uglies and Divergent coming out. However, the idea of dystopian fiction has been around for a very long time with works like George Orwell’s 1984. The Hunger Games is also another very popular example of dystopian fiction and was a very great story overall.
What is Utopian Fiction?
On the other side of the spectrum is utopian fiction, which is a genre that shows an ideal society with peace, harmony, and justice at its core. Life is good and there are no problems in a utopia. The idea of “utopia” as a term was coined by Sir Thomas More back in his 1516 book titled Utopia. Utopian fiction shows a perfect world where everything is perfect and everyone is happy. However, this tends to be a lesser covered fiction style.
Most stories, even if they present a society that is utopian, we quickly find that it is not actually utopian at all. Books like Scythe and The Giver all present societies where it seems like everything is great, but the story quickly shows you that the utopia is not so utopian after all. Very rarely are there many stories that present a utopian society that retains its consistency.
The Major Differences
Society and the Role of Human Nature
One of the central things in both dystopian and utopian fiction is the idea of human nature and its role in the overall society.
In the case of dystopian fiction, it tends to travel down the pessimistic road. Human nature is considered evil and corruptible, and greed and the pursuit of power overtakes what benefits humanity. Furthermore, dystopian worlds present societies where control and the limitation of freedoms is central to the regime in power, and people are forced to conform to a system that does not ultimately benefit them.
Utopian fiction, on the other hand, likes to view human nature with a positive lens. Humans are considered ultimately good at an inherent level or at the very least, humans can be made good people through proper education. Society is harmonious and everyone is equal. Conflicts are kept to a minimum, if they ever exist, and everyone works for the betterment of each other.
Ultimately, the way human beings act and react to society is what defines a dystopian and a utopian from the human perspective.
Government and Authority
The role of government and authority is a big theme in both dystopian fiction and utopian fiction, but the way these things function is fundamentally different in each.
Under dystopian fiction stories, governments are corrupt, tyrannical, and usually the source of the destruction and suffering in society. Propaganda, surveillance, and suppression through violent means is the way that society is controlled and governments do not hesitate to use their authority for these purposes.
Under utopian fiction, governments are typically led by some sort of enlightened leadership that works towards the good of all and the betterment of society. The systems put in place ensure that everything is fair, just, equal, and that all citizens are free. The government is a guide to help people achieve their full potential.
Technology, Progress, and Advancement
Most of the time, utopian and dystopian fiction fall under sci-fi books and they typically take place in the far future, where societies have advanced and progressed in a technological sense.
In dystopian fiction, technology is utilized to oppress, suppress, monitor, manipulate, and control society. Many dystopian stories take ideas like AI or genetic engineering and show how it can be misused and what the consequences are if the technology gets into the wrong hands.
Under utopian fiction, technology is a force of good and helps to advance society towards something much better and much more positive. The advancements of technology are mostly done for helping others and improving daily life. Things like clean energy, advanced healthcare, and other scientific innovations are usually portrayed and it shows how things are ultimately better with these advancements.
World Building
One of the things about dystopian and utopian fiction is the idea of world building. Both genres fall under sci-fi in a typical sense, but they can cross over into other genres. Being sci-fi stories about worlds that do not exist, world building is basically a necessity to creating a good story.
The biggest difference between dystopian and utopian fiction is the way the world is designed. In dystopian societies and worlds, everything is there to control humanity and things are mostly done for the detriment of people and the elevation of the powerful. The opposite is the case for utopian societies.
Why Do People Love Dystopias and Utopias?
Dystopian fiction and utopian fiction both have their appeal, but dystopian tends to be the most popular in a broad fiction sense. Dystopian stories tend to tell cautionary tales and remind us of the dangers of unchecked power. Additionally, many dystopian stories draw upon real-world events or create “what-if” scenarios out of said events. Dystopian stories are also more inclined to involve action and high stakes, which tend to be more popular for story-telling.
Utopian fiction exists, but it is a much smaller quantity when compared to its polar opposite brother. Utopian fiction tends to be visionary and does not provide the same sort of critique that dystopian stories do on society. Utopian fiction also is considered too idealistic and most believe that it is too unrealistic to enjoy. However, that does not mean that there is not a group that enjoys utopian fiction out there, it just happens to be smaller than the crowd that enjoys dystopian fiction.
Conclusion
Both dystopian fiction and utopian fiction are powerful tools for storytelling and you can take one simple idea and twist it either way to portray society as being positive or negative. There are many stories that blur the lines between the two styles of fiction, with societies beginning as utopias and descending into dystopia and vice versa.
Ultimately, both are great examples of how intriguing speculative fiction can be and both show how creative a writer can be.
Back when I was younger, dystopian was the biggest craze and I personally had so many ideas for dystopian stories. The books that I am writing today in my series, The Fallen Age Saga, drew a lot of ideas from my smaller stories that I wrote when I was young, which is why many of the elements you can see in those two stories draw a lot from dystopian fiction. Technology and its consequences on humanity is one of the biggest themes in Malware, Book 1 of the series. Ultimately, my series is a grimdark sci-fantasy, so there is no hope in society, but you get the idea.
Before you head on out, be sure to check out my series, The Fallen Age Saga, and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter so you can get updates on all my latest books, WIPs, posts and more!