Traits of Dystopian fiction

Many works of literature and film featuring dystopian societies exhibit at least a few of the following traits:

1) The society is an illusion of a perfect utopian world.

2) There is some kind of story or just rumors of a war, revolution, uprising, spike in

overpopulation, natural disaster or some other climatic event which resulted in

dramatic changes to society.

3) We often see a standard of living among the lower and middle class that is

generally poorer than in the contemporary society.

4) The protagonist is a person who questions or challenges his/her society.

5) Because dystopian literature takes place in the future, it often features

technology more advanced than that of the contemporary society.

6) For the reader to engage with it, dystopian fiction typically has one other trait:

familiarity. It is not enough to show people living in a society that seems

pleasant. The society must have echoes of today, of the reader’s own

experience. If the reader can identify the patterns or trends that would

lead to the dystopia, it becomes a more involving and effective experience.

Authors can use a dystopia effectively to highlight their own concerns

about negative or dangerous social trends.