History Of Dystopian Literature
                     DYSTOPIAN LITERATURE: 
THEMES, HISTORY & 
FAMOUS NOVELS
Introduction
The dystopian genre of literature is 
defined as one that posits a 
totalitarian, post-apocalyptic or 
chaotic reality in the present day 
or future.
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Significance 
of Dystopian 
Literature
Dystopian novels that have a 
didactic message often explore 
themes like anarchism, oppression, 
and mass poverty. 
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History of 
Dystopian 
Literature
The history of dystopian literature 
can be traced back to the reaction 
to the French Revolution of 1789 
and the prospect that mob rule 
would produce dictatorship. 
Until the late 20th century, it was 
usually anti-collectivist. Dystopian 
fiction emerged as a response to 
the utopian.
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Nineteen 
Eighty-Four – 
George Orwell
An absolute classic and must-read 
novel of the dystopian genre, 
Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four 
combines sexual suppression, 
authoritarianism and themes of 
psychological manipulation. 
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Brave New 
World – 
Aldous Huxley
With facades of anti-hierarchical 
notions, pedagogy and sexual 
themes that open up a whole 
dialectic of potential rebellion 
against those with power, Huxley’s 
Brave New World is a fascinating 
dystopia with twists and turns.
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Fahrenheit 
451 – Ray 
Bradbury
Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 portrays 
a world in which books are 
prohibited due to censorship, and 
depicts the exact rules that dictate 
the process of burning them 
outright. 
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Cat’s Cradle – 
Kurt Vonnegut
An apocalyptic dystopia published 
just after the Cuban missile crisis, 
Cat’s Cradle is a fascinating work 
that posits with irony the notion of 
the end of the world. 
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We – Yevgeny 
Zamyatin
Zamyatin’s We is a novel that was 
banned on its publication in Russia. 
It is a novel that juxtaposes the 
individual thoughts, feelings and 
self-expression of protagonist D-
503 and the One State city in 
which freedoms and liberties are 
not permitted. 
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Never Let Me 
Go – Kazuo 
Ishiguro
A critically acclaimed novel and 
film depicting the story of Kathy H 
and her existence as a ‘carer’, 
Never Let Me Go is a contemporary 
dystopian novel with a twist. 
Written by Japanese-born British 
novelist Ishiguro, this dark story 
centers around student organ 
donors whose sole occupations are 
to exist to extend the lives of 
others.
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Swastika 
Night – 
Katharine 
Burdekin
Burdekin’s Swastika Night is an 
archetypal dystopian novel and an 
instance of a hypothetical, 
alternate history. 
Telling the story of a post-Hitlerian 
culture, the novel posits what life 
would be like had the Nazis gained 
total control of Europe. 
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