The Historical Influence of Dystopian Literature
Project Proposal
SUBJECT: Dystopia
GUIDING QUESTION(S): Is dystopian literature a reflection of the time in which it was written? If so, how or what influenced the authors to create these pieces of fiction?
RATIONALE: I want to study this idea because dystopian literature was once quite popular between the 1940’s until the 1960’s. I assume that the authors were influenced by the events at the time: World War II, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, etc. There has been a recent spike the amount of dystopian literature being written. I want to know what is currently influencing authors to write dystopian literature currently.
SUMMARY: Dystopian texts were popular for a while in between 1940 and 1970, then interest declined (or there weren't any dystopian texts published at that time). 1984 by George Orwell was published just after World War II, so I can assume that the events and uncertainty of what was going to happen during World War II influenced his writing.
PREDICTION: Dystopian fiction reflects the time in which the texts were written. It reflects the historical events, social issues, political issues, and world issues. I think that authors were/are influenced by the events that surround them. Also, I think that authors are influenced to write about the trends they see in society and the current issues that are dominating the society at the time.
BOOK SOURCES:
1. Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986.
2. Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008.
3. Condie, Ally. Crossed. New York: Dutton, 2011.
4. Orwell, George. 1984. Toronto: Penguin Books, 1949.
POEMS/SONGS:
1. "No Shelter" Rage Against The Machine.
2. "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae
3. "Television" by Roald Dahl
ARTICLES/RESEARCH:
1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-astor/why-do-we-like-dystopian-novels_b_1979301.html
2. http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-daily-blog/author-qa-erin-bowman-her-new-dystopian-ya-taken
3. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/opinion/sunday/dowd-from-apocalypse-to-dystopia.html?_r=0
OTHER SOURCES:
1. Atwood, Margaret. "Aliens have taken the place of angels." June 17, 2005.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2005/jun/17/sciencefictionfantasyandhorror.margaretatwood
2. Sparknotes. "The Handmaid's Tale: Context."
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/handmaid/context.html
3. Scholastic Canada. "A Conversation with Suzanne Collins."
http://www.scholasticcanada.ca/thehungergames/media/suzanne_collins_q_and_a.pdf
Project Proposal
SUBJECT: Dystopia
GUIDING QUESTION(S): Is dystopian literature a reflection of the time in which it was written? If so, how or what influenced the authors to create these pieces of fiction?
RATIONALE: I want to study this idea because dystopian literature was once quite popular between the 1940’s until the 1960’s. I assume that the authors were influenced by the events at the time: World War II, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, etc. There has been a recent spike the amount of dystopian literature being written. I want to know what is currently influencing authors to write dystopian literature currently.
SUMMARY: Dystopian texts were popular for a while in between 1940 and 1970, then interest declined (or there weren't any dystopian texts published at that time). 1984 by George Orwell was published just after World War II, so I can assume that the events and uncertainty of what was going to happen during World War II influenced his writing.
PREDICTION: Dystopian fiction reflects the time in which the texts were written. It reflects the historical events, social issues, political issues, and world issues. I think that authors were/are influenced by the events that surround them. Also, I think that authors are influenced to write about the trends they see in society and the current issues that are dominating the society at the time.
BOOK SOURCES:
1. Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1986.
2. Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008.
3. Condie, Ally. Crossed. New York: Dutton, 2011.
4. Orwell, George. 1984. Toronto: Penguin Books, 1949.
POEMS/SONGS:
1. "No Shelter" Rage Against The Machine.
2. "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae
3. "Television" by Roald Dahl
ARTICLES/RESEARCH:
1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-astor/why-do-we-like-dystopian-novels_b_1979301.html
2. http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-daily-blog/author-qa-erin-bowman-her-new-dystopian-ya-taken
3. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/23/opinion/sunday/dowd-from-apocalypse-to-dystopia.html?_r=0
OTHER SOURCES:
1. Atwood, Margaret. "Aliens have taken the place of angels." June 17, 2005.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2005/jun/17/sciencefictionfantasyandhorror.margaretatwood
2. Sparknotes. "The Handmaid's Tale: Context."
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/handmaid/context.html
3. Scholastic Canada. "A Conversation with Suzanne Collins."
http://www.scholasticcanada.ca/thehungergames/media/suzanne_collins_q_and_a.pdf