Z For Zachariah

Dystopian or post-apocalyptic literature is writing that explores a fictional society that differs in key ways from the real world. Often, these stories take place in the future after a war, disaster, or some other monumental, global change. They can also be set in alternate timelines or separate worlds entirely—worlds that parallel the real world while heightening the elements of danger, suffering, and injustice. The term “dystopian” comes from the word “utopia,” with a utopian society being the ideal life; conversely, a dystopian society is one with major hardship, destruction, or undesirable elements that make life difficult. Often, these differences highlight important aspects of our own society, such as a dictatorial regime to emphasize the importance of individual rights or a natural disaster to depict the importance of getting environmental change and destruction under control.

Throughout the history of dystopian fiction, seminal works are often linked to the anxieties and fears of the time in which the work was produced. For example, one of the first mainstream dystopian fiction novels was George Orwell’s 1984 (1949). Written after World War II and in the wake of the consolidation of the Soviet Union, the novel serves as a commentary on the dangers of a controlling, intrusive government.