Before you consider the best books in the dystopian genre, familiarize yourself with their contents and understand why books of this genre have always been of genuine interest to readers, let us return to the origins of this term.
What is a "dystopia"?
The term “dystopia” appeared in the literature as the exact opposite of works written in the utopian genre. The first writer to launch a whole literary movement was the English philosopher Thomas More. The beginning of the utopian genre is customary to deduce from his novel Utopia (1516). Actually, most of his works showed an ideal society in which everyone lives happily and calmly. The name of this world is utopia.
In contrast to his "serene" works, writers began to appear, telling about a completely opposite society, country or world. In them, the state limited human freedom, and often freedom of thought. Works written in this vein began to be called dystopia.
In the dictionaries, “dystopia” is characterized as a crisis of hope, the meaninglessness of the revolutionary struggle, the inevitability of social evil. Science is considered not as a way to solve global problems and a way to build a social order, but as a means of enslaving a person.
It is quite difficult to determine which of the books in this genre are the most popular, since their rating, as a rule, depends on many circumstances: country and state structure, social and economic factors, time and age of readers. Of course, apart from the best books of utopia and dystopia, are the first works written in these genres.
The origins of dystopia
The birthplace of this term, as well as its antagonist, was England. In 1848, the philosopher John Mill first used the word "anti-utopian" as the exact opposite of "utopian". As a literary genre, the term “dystopia” was introduced by G. Negli and M. Patrick in his work “In Search of Utopia” (1952).
The genre itself flourished much earlier. In the twenties, in the wake of world wars and revolutions, the ideas of utopianism began to be realized. Not surprisingly, Bolshevik Russia became the first country to implement such ideas. The construction of a new society aroused the genuine interest of the world community, and the new system ruthlessly began to make fun of in English works. Even today they occupy the first lines of the lists “Best Anti-utopias”, “Books of All Time”:
- 1932 - “Oh Brave New World,” O. Huxley.
- 1945 - The Animal Farm, J. Orwell.
- 1949 - "1984", J. Orwell.
In these novels, along with the rejection of communist tyranny, like any other, reflects a general confusion before the possibility of a soulless civilization. These works have passed the test of time as the best anti-utopias. Books of this genre are in demand now. So what is the secret of dystopia?
The essence of dystopia
As can be seen from the above, dystopia is a parody of a utopian idea. She emphasizes the danger of confusing social "fiction" with facts. That is, it draws the line between reality and fiction. The anti-utopias that reveal the so-called ideal society describe the inner world of a person living in this society. His feelings, thoughts.
Seen "from within" shows the essence of this society, its unsightly inside out. In fact, it turns out that an ideal society is not so perfect. To understand how an ordinary person pays for universal happiness, and the best anti-utopias call. Books are usually written by authors, for whom the human soul, unique and unpredictable, becomes the object of research.
Anti-utopia reflects the “new world” from the inside from the perspective of a person living in it. For a huge, soulless state mechanism, a person is like a screw. And at a certain moment in a person natural human feelings awaken, which are incompatible with the existing system, built on restrictions, prohibitions and subordination to the interests of the state.
There is a conflict between the individual and the social structure. Anti-utopia shows the incompatibility of utopian ideas with the interests of the individual. Reveals the absurdity of utopian projects. It clearly demonstrates how proclaimed equality turns into equalization; government system forcibly defines human behavior; technological progress turns a person into a mechanism. This is intended to show the best anti-utopia.
Utopian works show the path to excellence. The goal of anti-utopia is to show the absurdity of this idea, to warn of the dangers waiting on this path. Reflecting on social and spiritual processes, analyzing errors, anti-utopia does not set as its goal to deny everything, but only seeks to point to deadlocks and consequences, possible ways to overcome them.
The best dystopias
The books that preceded the emergence of dystopia are designed to show what the alarming phenomena of the present can lead to, what fruits they can bring. These novels include the following:
- 1871 - The Coming Race, E. Bulver-Lytton.
- 1890 - “Column of Caesar”, I. Donelly.
- 1907 - The Iron Heel, J. London.
In the thirties, a whole series of works appeared - warnings and anti-utopias, which indicated a fascist threat:
- 1930 - The Autocracy of Mr. Pargem, G. Wells.
- 1935 - “It's impossible with us,” S. Lewis.
- 1936 - “The war with the salamanders”, K. Chapek.
This also includes the above works of Huxley, Orwell. “451 degrees Fahrenheit” (1953) R. Bradbury is considered one of the best novels in this genre.
So, ma figured out what dystopia is. Books (a list of the best of them, the most famous, which at all times have been recognized as unsurpassed in this area, we will consider in more detail below), these are still in demand. Moreover, today they are more relevant than ever. What is their value? What do the authors of these novels warn about?
From classic to modern
The story of R. Bradbury "451 degrees Fahrenheit", undoubtedly, is a classic of the dystopian genre. A book for all time. The author, one of the few, warns here about the threat of totalitarianism. The opinion of readers leaving reviews of the work is similar: how much the author foresaw. What is happening around now, Bradbury predicted several decades ago. What is this story about, for many years not leaving the first lines of the list of “Best Anti-utopias”?
Books of this genre are really written by “masters of the image of human souls”. How accurately many of them were able to reflect the inner world of man and the distant future in those days. The story “451 degrees” is a very bold, well-written book. The author introduces the reader to ordinary people. Enters into an ordinary house, where the hostess renounces herself from the surrounding life with “shells” - a radio or animated television walls. Is that familiar? If we change the “television walls” to the words “Internet and TV”, then we get the reality surrounding us.
The world, drawn by the author, sparkles with all the colors of the rainbow, pours out of the speakers, billboards stretch along the tracks with solid multi-meter canvases. Friends are replaced by “relatives” who are interested in matters from the screens and taking away all their free time. There is no time left for the surrounding beauty - for the first flowers and the spring sun, sunsets and sunrises, even for their own children.
But people living among the talking walls are happy. And the recipe for their happiness is quite simple: they are the same. They do not want anything, they live only in the world of their living rooms. They don’t need more. They remember little, think little, their heads are clogged with the same thing.
Books in this world are banned. Storage of books - punishable. Here they are burned. Firefighters do not save lives, do not extinguish the fire. They burn books. Thus destroying human lives. One of the heroes of the story, fireman Guy Montag, meets once with a girl who manages to "shake" this hero, to awaken in him a craving for a normal life, for true human values.
Orwell and his novels
The works of this author are recognized as the best anti-utopias. Orwell’s books 1984 and the Animal Farm show perfectly that people who are not capable of thinking like everyone else are outlawed.
1984 is a terrific novel in which society is portrayed as a totalitarian system based on spiritual and physical enslavement. Penetrated by hatred and fear. The inhabitants of this world live under the vigilant eye of an "elder brother." The “Ministry of Truth” destroys history, regulates which facts to destroy, which to correct or leave.
“Spraying,” that is, social selection, is considered part of the state machine. A person can be arrested, released. And it so happens that he goes missing. Living in this world is not easy. The state is waging wars, explaining to the population that this is for their good. "Peace is war." There are no essential commodities; food is a measured ration.
Impact work for the benefit of society, extracurricular activities, community work days, public holidays are common in this world. A step away from generally accepted laws - and man is not a tenant. “Freedom is slavery.” Professionals of the Orwellian world are engaged in misinformation of the population. Destruction and distortion of documents, substitution of facts. Everywhere lies, blatant lies. “Ignorance is power.”
Orwell’s novels are heavy but powerful. Of course, these are the best anti-utopias. Books are well written, from the first to the last page riddled with sound thoughts. The author is driven only by good intentions - to warn humanity from social catastrophe. To show that violence, cruelty, ruthlessness, the silence of society give rise to absolute power. In the end, only those who live for the sake of the party are happy. But absolute power kills a person. Returns it to its pristine state. Even more. Absolute power can destroy humanity.
"Barnyard"
The second work of this author, which is considered one of the best anti-utopias, is "Farmyard" (the second name is "Animal Farm"). Here the author does not show the state, the political system or any system. In this work, he classifies people by comparing them with animals.
Sheep are weak-willed, stupid people who do and say only what they are told. They are unable to think with their own heads and from this perceive all innovations as something for granted. Horses - naive, good-natured, ready to work for the idea day and night. The world rests on such. Dogs do not shun dirty work. Their main task is to fulfill the will of the owner. They are ready to serve today one, tomorrow another, if only to heartily fed.
The fierce boar Napoleon in Orwell’s novel is recognizable. A person who is ready to erect a throne for himself in any place, just to get on it and hold on by any means. The collapse, which the author presents in the novel as a young boar, was to be a scapegoat. Such a person is convenient under any authority - to blame, blame him for any sin. With gilt Snitch, everything is clear - he is able to make black white, and vice versa. A convincing liar and a wonderful speaker, he changes facts with just one word.
A satirical, instructive parable, close to the realities of life. Democracy, monarchy, socialism, communism - what's the difference. As long as people come to power, low in their desires and impulses, it does not matter in which country and under which system, society will not see anything good. Good for the people - a worthy ruler.
New world
In Aldous Huxley’s novel “Oh Brave New World”, not everything is as scary as Orwell’s. His world is based on a strong world state, which was captured by technocracy. Small reservations were left, as economically disadvantageous, as reserves. It would seem that everything is stable and correct. But no.
People in this world are divided into castes: alpha is engaged in mental work - this is the first grade, alpha pluses occupy leadership positions, alpha minuses are lower rank people. Betas are women for alpha. Beta pros and cons are smarter and dumber, respectively. Deltas and scales - service staff, agricultural workers. Epsilons - the lower layer, the mentally retarded population, performing routine mechanical work.
Individuals are grown in glass bottles, brought up differently, even the color of their clothes is different. The main condition of the new world is the standardization of people. The motto is "Community, sameness, stability." Rejecting history, they all live in the present. Everyone and everything is subject to expediency for the benefit of the World State.
The main problem of this world is that artificial equality cannot satisfy thinking people. Some alpha can not adapt to life, feel complete loneliness and alienation. But without conscious elements, a new world is impossible, because it is they who are responsible for the well-being of others. Such people accept service as hard labor or depart for the islands because of disagreements with society.
The meaninglessness of the existence of this society is that they are regularly brainwashed. The purpose of their life was consumption. They live and work in order to acquire completely unnecessary things. A variety of information is available to them, and they consider themselves sufficiently educated. But they have no desire to engage in science or self-education, to grow spiritually. They are distracted by insignificant and mundane things. At the heart of this society is the same totalitarian regime.
If all people can think and feel, then stability will collapse. If they are deprived of this, then they will all turn into disgusting stupid clones. A familiar society will no longer be; it will be replaced by castes of artificially bred individuals. Arranging society through genetic programming, while destroying all major institutions, is tantamount to destroying it.
In its genre, the above books are considered the best. These may also include:
- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962).
- “We” by Evgeny Zamyatin (1924).
- The Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954).
These works are considered classics. But modern authors have also created many wonderful books in the utopian genre.
Modern dystopias
Books (a list of the best can be seen below) of this century differ from the classics in that they are so closely intertwined various genres that it is difficult to separate one from the other. They meet elements of science fiction, and post-apocalypse, and cyberpunk. But still, several books by contemporary authors deserve the attention of dystopian lovers:
- Trilogy Lauren Oliver "Delirium" (2011).
- The novel by Kazuo Ishiguro “Don't Let Me Go” (2005).
- The Susan Collins Trilogy The Hunger Games (2008).
Without a doubt, the genre we are considering is gaining more and more popularity. Anti-utopia invites readers to see a world in which there will never be a place for them.
Readers in their reviews agree on one thing: not all anti-utopias are read easily. Among them are "hard books that come with difficulty." But the idea and essence of the writing is simply surprising: how much the events taking place in the novels resemble modern life, the recent past. These are serious novels that make you to the depths of your soul that make you think. Many of the books can be read with a pencil in their hand - people note an abundance of interesting places and quotes. Not all anti-utopias are read in one breath, but each work remains in memory for a long time.