Download or read book Mid Twentieth Century Dystopian Fiction and Political Thought written by Adam Stock and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thesis examines political and social thought in dystopian fiction of the mid-twentieth century. It focuses on works by four authors: Yevgeny Zamyatin's We (1924), Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932), George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), and John Wyndham's postwar novels (especially The Day of the Triffids (1951), The Kraken Wakes (1953) and The Chrysalids (1955)). The central concern of this thesis is how political and social ideas are developed within a literary mode which evolved as response to both literary concerns and political ideas, including on the one hand literary utopias, science fiction, satire, and literary modernism; and on the other hand modernity, social Darwinism, apocalypse, war, and changes in gender roles in the broader culture. It is argued that the narrative structures of these novels are crucial in enabling them to perform such critical tasks. These texts use fictionality to enact self-reflexive critiques of the disasters of their age that both acknowledge their own emergence from the post-Enlightenment tradition in the history of political ideas, and criticise the failings of this very tradition of which they are part. The work of a variety of critical theorists, including Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, Hannah Arendt and Raymond Williams inform this analysis. This thesis aims to demonstrate how comparative readings of critical theory and literature can reveal their mutually interactive significance as cultural reactions to historical events. Dystopian fictions of the mid-twentieth century are both important documents in cultural history, and valuable literary examples of the development and diffusion of a plurality of modernisms within popular fiction.

Download or read book Modern Dystopian Fiction and Political Thought written by Adam Stock and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-10-16 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past few years, ‘dystopia’ has become a word with increasing cultural currency. This volume argues that we live in dystopian times, and more specifically that a genre of fiction called "dystopia" has, above others, achieved symbolic cultural value in representing fears and anxieties about the future. As such, dystopian fictions do not merely mirror what is happening in the world: in becoming such a ready referent for discussions about such varied topics as governance, popular culture, security, structural discrimination, environmental disasters and beyond, the narrative conventions and generic tropes of dystopian fiction affect the ways in which we grapple with contemporary political problems, economic anxieties and social fears. The volume addresses the development of the narrative methods and generic conventions of dystopian fiction as a mode of socio-political critique across the first half of the twentieth century. It examines how a series of texts from an age of political extremes contributed to political discourse and rhetoric both in its contemporary setting and in the terms in which we increasingly cast our cultural anxieties. Focusing on interactions between temporality, spatiality and narrative, the analysis unpicks how the dystopian interacts with social and political events, debates and ideas, Stock evaluates modern dystopian fiction as a historically responsive mode of political literature. He argues that amid the terrors and upheavals of the first half of the twentieth century, dystopian fiction provided a unique space for writers to engage with historical and contemporary political thought in a mode that had popular cultural appeal. Combining literary analysis informed by critical theory and the history of political thought with archival-based historical research, this volume works to shed new light on the intersection of popular culture and world politics. It will be of interest to students and scholars in literary studies, cultural and intellectual history, politics and international relations.

Download or read book Critical theory and dystopia written by Patricia McManus and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2022-06-21 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Critical theory and dystopia offers a uniquely rich study of dystopian fiction, drawing on the insights of critical theory. Asking what ideological work these dark imaginings perform, the book reconstructs the historical emergence, consolidation and transformation of the genre across the twentieth century and into our own, ranging from Yevgeny Zamayatin’s We (1924) and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World (1932) to Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange (1963) and Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games series (2000s and 2010s). In doing so, it reveals the political logics opened up or neutered by the successive moments of this dystopian history.

Download or read book Desire and Empathy in Twentieth Century Dystopian Fiction written by Thomas Horan and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-02-13 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book assesses key works of twentieth-century dystopian fiction, including Katharine Burdekin’s Swastika Night, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, to demonstrate that the major authors of this genre locate empathy and morality in eroticism. Taken together, these books delineate a subset of politically conscious speculative literature, which can be understood collectively as projected political fiction. While Thomas Horan addresses problematic aspects of this subgenre, particularly sexist and racist stereotypes, he also highlights how some of these texts locate social responsibility in queer and other non-heteronormative sexual relationships. In these novels, even when the illicit relationship itself is truncated, sexual desire fosters hope and community.

Download or read book Aldous Huxley written by Alessandro Maurini and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2017-01-30 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aldous Huxley: The Political Thought of a Man of Letters argues that Huxley is not a man of letters engaged in politics, but a political thinker who chooses literature to spread his ideas. His preference for the dystopian genre is due to his belief in the tremendous impact of dystopia on twentieth-century political thought. His political thinking is not systematic, but this does not stop his analysis from supplying elements that are original and up-to-date, and that represent fascinating contributions of political theory in all the spheres that he examines from anti-Marxism to anti-positivism, from political realism to elitism, from criticism of mass society to criticism of totalitarianism, from criticism of ideologies to the future of liberal democracy, from pacifism to ecological communitarianism. Huxley clearly grasped the unsolved issues of contemporary liberalism, and the importance of his influence on many twentieth-century and present-day political thinkers ensures that his ideas remain indispensable in the current liberal-democratic debate. Brave New World is without doubt Huxley’s most successful political manifesto. While examining the impassioned struggle for the development of all human potentialities, it yet manages not to close the doors definitively on the rebirth of utopia in the age of dystopia.

Download or read book Self and Subjectivity in the Twentieth Century Dystopian Fiction written by Fatih Öztürk and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2022-07-18 with total page 149 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides the reader with an extensive social, historical, and theoretical background to dystopian fiction so that the underlying reasons for the emergence of the genre in the early 20th century are clarified. It offers a multifaceted approach to the representation of the individual in dystopian fiction by referring to the historical events that have affected the process. The book bases its argument on the theories of such groundbreaking theoreticians as Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, Louis Althusser, and Michel Foucault, and sheds light on how the oppressive governments have employed psychological, linguistic, ideological, and discursive devices to manipulate people and create subjected beings. By including work from a woman author, the book also serves to highlight how the ongoing process is perceived from a feminist stance.

Download or read book 1984 written by George Orwell and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2023-12-30 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1984 is a political and dystopian science-fiction novel set in Airstrip One, a province of the superstate Oceania. It is a mind-numbing world which in a state of perpetual war, omnipresent government surveillance and public manipulation. Dictated by a political system, called Ingsoc, the lives of its people is under the control of privileged elite of the "Inner Party" which persecutes individualism and independent thinking as "thought crime." Due to the novel's huge popularity, many of its terms and concepts, such as Big Brother, doublethink, thoughtcrime, Newspeak, Room 101, telescreen, 2 + 2 = 5, and memory hole, have entered into common use since its publication in 1949. It has also popularised the adjective "Orwellian", which describes official deception, secret surveillance, and manipulation of recorded history by a totalitarian or authoritarian state. George Orwell (1903-1950) whose real name was Eric Arthur Blair was an English novelist, essayist, journalist and critic. His work is marked by lucid prose, awareness of social injustice, opposition to totalitarianism, and outspoken support of democratic socialism.

Download or read book Caesar s Column written by Ignatius Donnelly and published by Prepper Press. This book was released on 2014-05-26 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Caesar's Column: A Story of the Twentieth Century, first published in 1890, is considered to be a key work in the history of dystopian and apocalyptic fiction, a "must read" for fans of this genre. Part political novel, part romance, Caesar's Column takes place in the year 1988 in New York City, where society has lost itself in social decay. Gabriel Welstein arrives in New York as a visitor from the Swiss colony of Uganda, an agricultural society. Much of Gabriel's narration happens as letters written to his brother. Gabriel helps save a beggar in the city, a beggar who turns out to be part of "The Brotherhood of Destruction" that is working to overthrow the corrupt ruling class. Ignatius Donnelly was considered an agrarian populist, part of a movement that grew after the Civil War with the rise of the corporate state, when capital - and in particular, farming land - became ever concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. Moving from political party to political party, and eventually landing with the Republican Party, Donnelly was elected Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota and then went on to become a U.S. Congressman for three terms. Caesar's Column draws heavily on Donnelly's political and societal views. He offers a view of the technological future that proves to be fairly accurate, with talk of airships, city streets, and electrical power for all. Some would say his notion of "televised newspapers" foreshadows the internet, as well. There are examples of anti-Semitism in his work, though not probably as severe as was present at the time. The presence of this anti-Semitism is interpreted by some to be seen as commentary on the social state portrayed in the work. Selling 60,000 copies upon its initial publication, sales eventually topped 250,000 copies. Caesar's Column went on to become one of many influential books in a wave of utopian and dystopian novels during the later 19th-century and early 20th-century.

Download or read book On Power Neurophilosophical Foundations and Policy Implications written by Nayef R. F. Al-Rodhan and published by Vernon Press. This book was released on 2022-02-08 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘On Power: Neurophilosophical Foundations and Policy Implications’ seeks to provide a historical, contemporary and predictive analysis of power. It aims to explain the history of political power in a unique way by approaching the concept of power through the lens of neurophilosophy – the application of neuroscientific principles to practical questions of governance, ethics, political and moral philosophy. In this book, Professor Nayef Al-Rodhan provides an accessible, incisive, and provocative take on the history, nature, and future of power. His insights go beyond conventional wisdom by exploring some of the themes that will become increasingly relevant to analysing power in the decades to come. A central idea of the book is the highly addictive universal nature of power at the neurochemical level, the craving for it, and the intense resistance to giving it up in all walks of life and circumstances. This can be applied directly to thinking about governance, political change, public policy, national and international peace, security, and prosperity. Al-Rodhan formulates an innovative conceptual picture of power by integrating the findings of neuroscience with the broader implications of power in the era of digital connectivity and cognitive and physical enhancement technologies. In doing so, he guides our approach to political power and public policy, influenced by ubiquitous, disruptive, and intrusive technologies. This book will appeal to students and scholars of neuroscience, philosophy, government, business, and international relations. It will also hold particular interest for politicians, public servants, think-tankers, policy-makers, and journalists, as well as senior executives from the corporate, sports, media and entertainment world.

Download or read book We written by Evgenii Ivanovich Zamiatin and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2021-11-05 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We is a dystopian novel by Russian writer Yevgeny Zamyatin, written 1920–1921.. The novel describes a world of harmony and conformity within a united totalitarian state. It influenced the emergence of dystopia as a literary genre. George Orwell claimed that Aldous Huxley's 1931 Brave New World must be partly derived from We, but Huxley denied this.

Download or read book THE IRON HEEL Political Dystopian Classic written by Jack London and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2023-12-11 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This carefully crafted ebook: "THE IRON HEEL (Political Dystopian Classic)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. The year is 2600 AD or 419 B.O.M. (the Brotherhood of Man) when Anthony Meredith, a scholar from the future, comes across an important manuscript of Avis Everhard written around 1912-1932 when "Iron Heel" came to power in USA. "Iron Heel" is an oligarchic regime where the power and money is concentrated in the hands of a few rulers and Avis and her husband Ernest are involved in a conspiracy to overthrow it. Although Meredith knows the fate of Avis and Ernest but what they saw and suffered would shake you to the core. This novel is a prophetic dystopia that is said to have inspired George Orwell, the author of 1984, who described Jack London as having made "a very remarkable prophecy of the rise of Fascism". Orwell believed that Jack London's understanding of contemporary politics had made him a better prophet "than many better-informed and more logical thinkers." Jack London (1876–1916) was an American novelist, journalist, and social activist. London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of unionization, socialism, and the rights of workers. He wrote several powerful works dealing with these topics, such as his dystopian novel The Iron Heel, his non-fiction exposé The People of the Abyss, and The War of the Classes. Some of his most famous works include The Call of the Wild and White Fang, both set in the Klondike Gold Rush, as well as the short stories "To Build a Fire", "An Odyssey of the North", and "Love of Life". He also wrote of the South Pacific in such stories as "The Pearls of Parlay" and "The Heathen", and of the San Francisco Bay area in The Sea Wolf.

Download or read book 20TH CENTURY DYSTOPIAN FICTION CLASSICS ANIMAL FARM 1984 written by George Orwell and published by Prabhat Prakashan. This book was released on 2022-09-16 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Political Theory Science Fiction and Utopian Literature written by Tony Burns and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2010-02-19 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed is of interest to political theorists partly because of its association with anarchism and partly because it is thought to represent a turning point in the history of utopian/dystopian political thought and literature and of science fiction. Published in 1974, it marked a revival of utopianism after decades of dystopian writing. According to this widely accepted view The Dispossessed represents a new kind of literary utopia, which Tom Moylan calls a 'critical utopia.' The present work challenges this reading of The Dispossessed and its place in the histories of utopian/dystopian literature and science fiction. It explores the difference between traditional literary utopia and novels and suggests that The Dispossessed is not a literary utopia but a novel about utopianism in politics. Le Guin's concerns have more to do with those of the novelists of the 19th century writing in the tradition of European Realism than they do with the science fiction or utopian literature. It also claims that her theory of the novel has an affinity with the ancient Greek tragedy. This implies that there is a conservatism in Le Guin's work as a creative writer, or as a novelist, which fits uneasily with her personal commitment to anarchism.

Download or read book C sar s Column written by Ignatius Donnelly and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2021-05-19 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Published in 1890, Cæsar's Column takes place in 1988 New York in a rotten society that has lost its morals. The main narrator, Gabriel Welstein, is a visitor from the Swiss colony of Uganda, a utopian agricultural society. He reveals he has come to the U.S. to avoid the global Wool Ring, which has monopolized the commodity. In the city, Gabriel intervenes to save a beggar, who is actually an attorney and a part of a brotherhood that works to destroy the corrupt ruling class. Most of the book is in the form of letters that Gabriel writes to his brother Heinrich. The intriguing story deals with the writer's thoughts on society, politics, and the concept of social Darwinism. He brilliantly portrayed a man who came from a rural background to the heart of a ruthless capitalist oligarchy, witnessed its corruption firsthand, and noticed its collapse.

Download or read book City of Endless Night written by Milo Hastings and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-11-13 with total page 245 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: City of Endless Night (1919) is a dystopian novel which first appeared as the story "Children of Kultur" serialized in True Story Magazine in seven installments from May to November, 1919. The word kultur, German for culture, had been made infamous by Allied propaganda in World War I. Set in future of 1941, City of Endless Night anticipates the resurgence of Germany and the rise of fascism. Other highlights of its immense foresight are the idea of a rigidly controlled press, rise of Nazi religion, racial theories and Eugenic breeding. A Must Read! Milo Milton Hastings (1884–1957) was an American inventor, author, and nutritionist. He invented the forced-draft chicken incubator and Weeniwinks, a health-food snack. He wrote about chickens, science fiction, and health.

Download or read book The Complete Works written by George Orwell and published by DigiCat. This book was released on 2022-11-13 with total page 2800 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edition includes: Novels: Burmese Days A Clergyman's Daughter Keep the Aspidistra Flying Coming Up for Air Animal Farm 1984 Poetry: Awake! Young Men of England Kitchener Our Hearts Are Married, But We Are Too Young The Pagan Poem from Burma The Lesser Evil Romance Summer-like for an Instant The Italian Soldier Shook My Hand... Reflections on War and Society: Spilling the Spanish Beans Not Counting Niggers Prophecies of Fascism Wells, Hitler and the World State Looking Back on the Spanish War Who Are the War Criminals? Future of a Ruined Germany Revenge is Sour You and the Atomic Bomb Notes on Nationalism Catastrophic Gradualism Freedom of the Park How the Poor Die In Front of Your Nose Thoughts on England: Democracy in the British Army The Lion and the Unicorn Antisemitism in Britain In Defence of English Cooking Decline of the English Murder Politics and the English Language Views on Literature, Art & Famous Men: In Defence of the Novel Notes on the Way Charles Dickens Literature and Totalitarianism The Art of Donald Mcgill Rudyard Kipling W. B. Yeats Mark Twain—the Licensed Jester Lear, Tolstoy and the Fool Writers and Leviathan Reflections on Gandhi... Book Reviews: Mein Kampf The Totalitarian Enemy... Miscellaneous Writings: A Farthing Newspaper The Spike Boys' Weeklies and Frank Richards's Reply Poetry and the Microphone The Sporting Spirit... Autobiographical Works: A Hanging Down and Out in Paris and London Bookshop Memories Shooting an Elephant The Road to Wigan Pier Homage to Catalonia Marrakech Why I Write...

Download or read book The Scientific World View in Dystopia written by Alexandra Aldridge and published by . This book was released on 1984 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: