The 1984 Effect 12/21/2011
The dystopia is a dying art. Popularized by authors such as George Orwell (1984), Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451), and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (Cat’s Cradle), dystopian literature sacrifices the popular feel-good storyline and happy ending for provocative commentary and an argument for social or political change. Works following the dystopian model make use of social outsiders, antiheroes, and intellectual misfits. They make examples of their characters. Good people die. The corrupt do their worst. The world as we know it comes to an end. These days, however, people don’t want to read anything depressing. They want good news. They want happy endings. They want to escape. And that is precisely the problem. We all have our individual tastes in fiction, and that’s fine. Just the same, we must take a closer look at the social complacency current trends reflect. More specifically, we must ask if these trends reveal simply a population looking for mindless entertainment, or if they might instead be an indication of something much more nefarious and telling. The 1984 Effect is the connection I see between social complacency and trends in literature, most notably, the virtual death of dystopia and similar genres. I argue that we as a society have been brainwashed into believing escapism is the key to a healthy, happy life, and with that we have sacrificed free, progressive thought and intellectual stimulation. Like the characters in Orwell’s 1984, society has been taught to go with the flow, do what it is told, and question issues just long enough perhaps to see the political backlash and fall back quickly into line. Occupy Wall Street is the perfect example. Many of us want change, but lack the initiative, the tools, or the backbone to manifest it. Moreover, our minds are in the wrong place. This is not the time for escapism, as tempting the bait may be. This is the time for assessment, reflection, and problem solving. This is the time to be reading the literature about the times. It is time we reject complacency and once again begin looking toward the future.
CommentsRay Getzinger 12/21/2011 18:44
Unfortunately there are too many who would not read dystopian literature. I like a happy ending provided the is a struggle to get there. One of my favorite novels is Suzanne Forster;s THE LONELY GIRLS CLUB. It has a happy ending for the protagonist, but not so much for every one else in the book. Also there was a struggle for the protagonist to reach that happy ending. I like it when the novels I read show the truth about politics, organized religion, and the economic screw job. One of my favorite non fiction books is Naomi Klein's SHOCK DOCTRINE a book about sticking it to thee middle class until the economy collapses and then the predators grabbing the spoils. 01/04/2012 13:36
Hi, I’m Lois Brown. I recently published a book called <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/115257">CYCLES</a> Leave a Reply | ArchivesMay 2012 CategoriesAll |
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