The novel is one of the most popular literary genres, you can distinguish several types according to the story of them, can be classified as fictional, based on real, historical, autobiographical, epistolary, dystopian, utopian, fantasy, horror, of mystery, among others.
On this occasion I will mention the dystopian novel specifically, according to the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (DRAE) by its acronym in Spanish, the dystopia refers to the "fictional representation of a future society of negative characteristics causing human alienation" . Therefore, this type of novel is considered a subgenre of science fiction that refers to imaginary narratives that aim to capture a hypothetical futuristic society, where totalitarian leadership, repression, control, degradation of the human being, limitation of human rights, establishment of an ideology, psychological and social pressure and alienation. In general, they take as an example socio-political aspects that are present in reality, taking them to extremes, showing it as a warning or in a satirical way.
Here are some literary works that are clear examples of dystopian novels:
1. 1984 by George Orwell (1949)
This novel is undoubtedly the main reference of the dystopian novel, it is a classic of literature due to the genius that Orwell presents in his narrative. The author proposes a world where there are three superpowers called Oceania, Eurasia and East Asia, which remain at war, in that war the alliances and enmities change constantly as well as the records that are taken from them and that are exposed to the citizens.
Oceania is presented as the stage of history, this superpower is characterized by being a collectivist state, where the Ingsoc (acronym for socialism) exercises power, there is a single politic party led by Big Brother, which is an omnipotent character and symbolic, whose slogans are "war is peace", "freedom is slavery" and "ignorance is force", it is also divided into three social groups: the internal members of the party, the external members of the party and the offspring, the external members are subjected to repression and permanent surveillance, while the offspring although it is the largest population of the state to live in misery and ignorance is considered harmless and dismissed by the party. The protagonist of the story is Winston Smith, he is within the fringe of the external members of the party and he works in one of the ministries rewriting the story, he meets Julia and together they try to live life without following the rules as it is he demands them, believing that a rebellion can be promoted and change the reality in which they live.
This story was adapted for television for the first time in 1954 and for cinema in 1956, after which several adaptations have been made. It is a story that when read can be glimpsed fragments of the history of the era in which George Orwell lived, and also identify aspects that have been repeated during historical moments after that time and in the present.
2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)
It is another classic of Anglo-Saxon literature, in the society that the author presents the books are prohibited, considering that they represent a risk for humanity, so the function of firefighters instead of putting out fires is to provoke them, through the fires destroy books, hence the name of the work, referring to the temperature at which the paper is burned.
The story is told focusing on the main character Guy Montag, who is a firefighter who, when meets a girl, begins to reflect on several aspects and to feel confused about the subject of the prohibition and burning of books, for which he himself, he is interested in books, keeps one for himself and begins to read, thus making alliances with people who go against the rules and create suspicion among his peers.
This book has also had adaptation to the screens, being the first of them made in 1966 and the last one was presented a few weeks ago by the HBO network.
3. The Handmaid's Tale of Margaret Atwood (1985)
It is a dystopian and feminist fiction novel that besides being one of the most successful books of the author is in the public arena currently due to the series created from this book in 2017.
History is developed in Gilead formerly the United States, where power is exercised by a group of theocrats, men are the main referents of this society and those who hold power, women are relegated to society and are divided among them fulfilling roles defined that include a specific dress and manner of behavior, these are divided into the aunts responsible for educating maids, martens, who are responsible for cleaning or cooking, maids who serve as sex slaves for the procreation of their owners, wives who are responsible for the administration of the home and care for husbands and sons and daughters, and on the other hand are non-women who for various reasons can not conceive or consider themselves a threat to society and its beliefs, for be professionals, lesbians or activist, these have been expelled from society and forced to perform jobs that affect their health. It is a society that is repressed, frightened and constantly monitored.
The protagonist of this story is the maid Offred, whose name makes reference to that belongs to its owner Commander Fred, prior to the implementation of the regime she was called June was married, had a daughter and a job, tried flee with her family but was captured and separated from her daughter before being able to achieve it, just as in the previous book the protagonist wants a change, a way out and reunited with her husband and daughter and that everything is as it once was .
The film "The Handmaid's Tale" is the first adaptation they made of the book in 1990, meanwhile the series of the same name was made by Hulu as of 2017, currently the second seasons and has won several prizes.
4. SagaThe hunger games by Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009) and Mockingjay (2010)
This saga of science fiction, like the books mentioned above, brings together elements of an undesirable society such as extreme poverty, repression and totalitarian regimes. The facts of this imaginary society are developed in Panem, a territory where formerly it was the United States and the inhabitants of the districts are punished and reminded of the war that was lived before the current regime will be established through "the games of hunger" , where the young people of the nation are submitted to participate in a televised game in which only one of the participants will survive and become the winner, these young people are randomly selected publicly in each district.
The protagonist of the story is Katniss Everdeen, who initiates as a volunteer to participate in the games instead of her younger sister, has desires and aspirations to be able to live in freedom and as the story unfolds it begins to reveal itself against the regime, so which becomes the main threat to this and the symbol of rebellion for the inhabitants of the districts, who are tired of the precarious life and the oppression to which they are subjected.
The complete saga has been adapted to the cinema in four films since 2012 and until 2015, being very popular especially among the young audience.
Each of the books that I have presented here have been bestseller and have remained valid throughout the years with very positive reviews for the topics they deal with and the way to address them, if you have not read them, I invite you to do so They are excellent works that make us reflect on the dynamics of humanity and present us with socio-political criticisms referring to sensitive issues of our historical moment.
I would like to know your opinion about these works and if you know other dystopian novels. I invite you to leave me your comments.