Utopia comes from the Greek roots “OU” (no) and “TOPOS” (place). A Dystopia is a glimpse and realistic version of a society that turned for the worst, characterized by a collection of conformity, governmental control over all aspects of life, dehumanisation, a world that is not natural or wouldn’t be considered normal with such things like constant surveillance and lack of community. The word dystopia is also a Greek-rooted word with “DYS” (bad, undesirable) and “TOPOS”.
Current social issues are often issues that young adults face or may fear for their future are represented and explored through, commonly, a first-person perspective making it easier for the reader to relate to the character. Also relatable to the main character is their interests in their future and what they can do about it, relying on a message of independence and control in one’s life.
Messages such as justice and an alternate reality young adults can envision and escape from their own are what young adults can relate to the most. Dystopian novels provide not only a warning but awareness to society and an understanding of what a collective group of people can accomplish or in contrast, become too used to in their everyday lives.
Themes & Tropes
from https://www.rockandart.org/diving-dystopia-ya-fiction-social-issue/
Elements of Dystopian Novels:
Elements of a Dystopian Hero:
End of the World Literature
Utopia: the perfect society; an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. This genre of literature explores social and political structure.
Dystopia: an imperfect society; an imagined place or state in which everything is unpleasant or bad, typically a totalitarian or environmentally degraded one. This genre of literature explores social and political structure.
Apocalypse/Post-Apocalypse: This genre deals with the threat to civilization after a world altering disaster such as nuclear war, pandemic, climate change, etc and how humans overcome the event.
Ectopian: a world that revolves around environmental conservation or destruction.
Since apocalyptic fiction involves characters attempting to survive, it is often more focused on characters and their interaction with others. Themes such as sharing limited resources, trusting strangers, and surviving together are the focus. In this way, apocalyptic fiction allows authors to introduce the depths of their characters' most basic fears and needs—and ultimately, determine what it means to be human in the first place.
Other common themes and situations seen in apocalyptic fiction are:
Depletion of resources
Dangerous weather patterns and/or exposure to the elements
Radiation after a nuclear war
Pandemic sickness (causing extreme loss of life)
Loss of technology