Utopian Vs. Dystopian: Two Forms of Great Fiction

by Dianna L. Gunn

If you've spent much time at all reading and studying speculative fiction, and maybe even if you haven't, you've probably heard the terms 'utopian' and 'dystopian' a lot, particularly in reference to science fiction novels. There's a good chance you've even got a vague idea of what each word means—but have you ever thought about it more deeply?

Let's take a look at the original words, armed with a trusty 1980 Oxford American Dictionary:

Utopia 1. An imaginary place or state of things where everything is perfect.

We'll stick with this definition, as it's the one most commonly applied to science fiction.

Interestingly enough, my edition of the Oxford doesn't contain dystopia, so for this one I've turned to dictionary.com:

Dystopia 1. A society characterized by human misery, as squalor, disease, and overcrowding.

Seems pretty clear cut, right? A utopian science fiction novel would obviously be one set in a place where all the world's problems have been fixed, whereas a dystopian science fiction novel would be one where the world has fallen into decline.

It both is and isn't as simple as that. Many science fiction novels blur the lines between utopia and dystopia. In The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, you first think the future society is a utopia where everyone's peaceful and has enough to eat, only to discover its darkest secrets and that it's closer to a dystopia.

Beyond that, everyone's definition of a utopia—or a dystopia—is different. Take Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy, in which a welfare-dependent Mexican woman is shown a future where men and women take equal part in the work, massive cities have given way to smaller townships, and food, along with other resources, are shared communally. For me and many others, this is a utopian future.

But that's not all Connie, the hero of Woman on the Edge of Time sees. She also sees a future in which humanity's retreated to metal homes and space stations, where the world is unlivable with food marked-up and everything else is created and delivered by machines. For Connie—and for me—this is a terrifying future—but it isn't terrifying to everyone.

Some books by genre are defined as utopian or dystopian, but this is certainly a case of beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Sure, most people are horrified by the extreme surveillance of Nineteen Eighty-Four or the mutation of humanity almost beyond recognition in The Time Machine, but some will always see it differently. Each of us dreams of a different future—my vision of utopia, where everyone's equal and we've eliminated capitalism, might just be your vision of dystopia.

Dianna L. Gunn is a young Canadian fiction writer who specializes in dark fantasy. She also writes poetry, generally dark, which is her way of dealing with life. This insightful author hosts a website covering every aspect of fiction writing and interviews with noted guest authors.

Learn more about Dianna L. Gunn on her website and follow her on Twitter.