Hypatia
01-10-2010, 07:53 PM
It seems to me that, in general, there is not a lot of focus on Dystopic Literature. In the past year or so this has been the genre that has drawn me in again and again.
Perhaps it's because of growing relevance, not only of Dystopic Literature, but also of films such as Children of Men (2006, Alfonso Cuaron). The reason these films are so relevant is because they take the fears of society and depict these fears as 'worst-case scenarios' in order to show society something that could happen.
This is why it concerns me a little that there are no great Dystopian novels being released, or if there are, they have not reached us here in New Zealand. Of course, novels like Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, The Handmaid's Tale will always have some relevance as we journey further into technology, and considering all the ethics behind the effects of these, in politics et cetera, they will not stop being relevant.
Reading books is celebrated by the minority, especially if you think about the fact that the majority of people in the world are probably illiterate. Therefore, it is our duty to ensure that society keeps learning the lessons taught by our greatest literature - We must be like Montag and Granger and the other rebels, and make sure we are there to remember everything that our predecessors tried to teach through their work.
This isn't a doomsday prediction. I do not believe that the world is ready for another war. But there is another kind of disaster that is approaching. Yes, i am talking about Climate Change. The recent failure of the Governments of the World at the Copenhagen Conference showed us that we, the normal, average, everyday citizens, must take responsibility, too. We can no longer just rely on the leaders of our respective countries. In my eyes, the people who are doing the most to combat Climate Change are those closest to me - not the people who sit in conference rooms and talk.
If this resounds with you, say so. If not, ignore it.
That is all.
Perhaps it's because of growing relevance, not only of Dystopic Literature, but also of films such as Children of Men (2006, Alfonso Cuaron). The reason these films are so relevant is because they take the fears of society and depict these fears as 'worst-case scenarios' in order to show society something that could happen.
This is why it concerns me a little that there are no great Dystopian novels being released, or if there are, they have not reached us here in New Zealand. Of course, novels like Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, The Handmaid's Tale will always have some relevance as we journey further into technology, and considering all the ethics behind the effects of these, in politics et cetera, they will not stop being relevant.
Reading books is celebrated by the minority, especially if you think about the fact that the majority of people in the world are probably illiterate. Therefore, it is our duty to ensure that society keeps learning the lessons taught by our greatest literature - We must be like Montag and Granger and the other rebels, and make sure we are there to remember everything that our predecessors tried to teach through their work.
This isn't a doomsday prediction. I do not believe that the world is ready for another war. But there is another kind of disaster that is approaching. Yes, i am talking about Climate Change. The recent failure of the Governments of the World at the Copenhagen Conference showed us that we, the normal, average, everyday citizens, must take responsibility, too. We can no longer just rely on the leaders of our respective countries. In my eyes, the people who are doing the most to combat Climate Change are those closest to me - not the people who sit in conference rooms and talk.
If this resounds with you, say so. If not, ignore it.
That is all.