Dystopian Literature Often Presents the Individual’s Quest for Meaning in Hostile and Oppressive Worlds.’
Dystopian literature often presents the individual’s quest for meaning in hostile and oppressive worlds.’
To what extent do the writers present their protagonists as successful in this quest in ‘1984’ by George Orwell, ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’ by Oscar Wilde and ‘Woman at Point Zero’ by Nawal El Saadawi?
The assertion that all three writers present their protagonist as having a quest for meaning in a dystopian world cannot be disputed. However, the extent to which these writers present their protagonist as successful in this quest varies greatly. Dystopian literature is merely an extension of the negative attributes of the society and context in which it is written. George Orwell’s dystopian world is a nightmarish conception of a Britain that has adopted the very worst traits of totalitarian regimes such as Nazi Germany and Socialist Russia; regimes which were at their height of power when the novel was written. Robert Evans defines dystopian literature as‘…a warning to the reader that something must and, by implication, can be done in the present to avoid the future,’ This didactic reading of ‘1984’ suggests that Orwell’s dystopian novel is a warning to the British public against excessive government intervention in their everyday lives. Dystopian literature thus warns the reader of the potential future of their society if they fail to protect their current freedom. El Saadawi’s ‘Woman at point Zero’ and Wilde’s ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’ are slightly different from ‘1984’ in this respect as their dystopian worlds are based on real-life experiences. However, they remain didactic in nature by condemning existing oppression. El Saadawi’s semi-fictionalised account of a woman on death row is an artistic interpretation of reality for women in modern-day Egypt. The world remains dystopian in nature due to the oppression of women by men. Likewise, Wilde’s poetic portrayal of Reading Gaol is based on his personal experiences of imprisonment in this dystopian
To what extent do the writers present their protagonists as successful in this quest in ‘1984’ by George Orwell, ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’ by Oscar Wilde and ‘Woman at Point Zero’ by Nawal El Saadawi?
The assertion that all three writers present their protagonist as having a quest for meaning in a dystopian world cannot be disputed. However, the extent to which these writers present their protagonist as successful in this quest varies greatly. Dystopian literature is merely an extension of the negative attributes of the society and context in which it is written. George Orwell’s dystopian world is a nightmarish conception of a Britain that has adopted the very worst traits of totalitarian regimes such as Nazi Germany and Socialist Russia; regimes which were at their height of power when the novel was written. Robert Evans defines dystopian literature as‘…a warning to the reader that something must and, by implication, can be done in the present to avoid the future,’ This didactic reading of ‘1984’ suggests that Orwell’s dystopian novel is a warning to the British public against excessive government intervention in their everyday lives. Dystopian literature thus warns the reader of the potential future of their society if they fail to protect their current freedom. El Saadawi’s ‘Woman at point Zero’ and Wilde’s ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’ are slightly different from ‘1984’ in this respect as their dystopian worlds are based on real-life experiences. However, they remain didactic in nature by condemning existing oppression. El Saadawi’s semi-fictionalised account of a woman on death row is an artistic interpretation of reality for women in modern-day Egypt. The world remains dystopian in nature due to the oppression of women by men. Likewise, Wilde’s poetic portrayal of Reading Gaol is based on his personal experiences of imprisonment in this dystopian