The Literary Form of Dystopian Fiction The Creation of an Unfamiliar and Horrifying World

Abstract

This thesis will research the literary form of the dystopian genre, taking We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell as case studies. A close reading of the novels and an analysis of existing research on the individual novels will be performed. Both form and structure will be researched through a discourse analysis, thus focussing on the structure and interaction of words and images. This thesis will research how the literary form of dystopian fiction helps to create the imaginary world and how it implicates the writer’s opinions and ideas concerning technological, scientific, social and political issues. It aims to show that the two are inherently intertwined; the writer’s opinions influence the construction of the society. Several general principles concerning narration, descriptions, dialogue and language have been found. The central character is either approving of or opposing to the dystopian society, and determines whether the narration provides the reader with a satirical representation or a critical analysis of the world. Each central character has an antagonist that challenges their ideas through dialogue. The use of future words and the past contributes to the identity of the society. Finally, these findings have been applied to a piece of creative writing.