Dystopia

This text is a critical primer in literary dystopia and critical dystopia in particular. The first section provides critical contexts for the topic. These include an overview of the critical reception of dystopias, Ursula K. Le Guin's "impure" dystopias, totalitarian technocracies, the interplay of media culture, and conformism and commodification in Fahrenheit 451. The bulk of the text is comprised of essays on topics like: science and politics in 1984, sympathetic villains, utopian rationalism, the meaning of "I" in Ayn Rand's Anthem, and some more examples of more contemporary dystopias in Mieville and Cory Doctrow, as well as dystopian science-fiction films. The essays are high quality and exhibit both economy of language and clarity of analysis. The contributors are primarily professors of literature, history, and political science from around the world. Annotation c2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)