The Language Of Dystopia

Download or read book Transformations of Language in Modern Dystopias written by David W. Sisk and published by Praeger. This book was released on 1997-12-30 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the 20th century has progressed, dystopian fiction has gained power as utopian fiction has become increasingly irrelevant. As an overtly didactic genre, dystopia extrapolates terrifying near-futures from disturbing current trends. In order to quickly create an atmosphere that is at once plausible and terrifying, dystopian writers almost universally turn to an idea certain to generate both fear and sympathy in the reader—the dual concept of language as the primary tool by which repressive societies stifle dissent, and simultaneously as the primary weapon used by rebels bent on understanding, resisting, and countering such oppression. This volume traces the evolution of language's centrality in 20th-century dystopias in English, including Brave New World, 1984, A Clockwork Orange, The Handmaid's Tale, Native Tongue, The Judas Rose, and Riddley Walker. The brilliance of Orwell's 1984 has led to a backlash: many critics have smugly asserted that, as the year 1984 has passed without taking the shape of his fiction, Orwell's novel and the dystopia in general have lost their affective power and relevance. But as the 20th century progresses, dystopian fiction has gained power as utopian fiction has become increasingly irrelevant. As an overtly didactic genre, dystopia extrapolates terrifying near-futures from disturbing current trends. In order to quickly create an atmosphere that is at once plausible and terrifying, dystopian writers almost universally turn to an idea certain to generate both fear and sympathy in the reader—the dual concept of language as the primary tool by which repressive societies stifle dissent, and simultaneously as the primary weapon used by rebels bent on understanding, resisting, and countering such oppression. This volume traces the evolution of language's centrality in 20th-century dystopias in English, beginning with Huxley's ^IBrave New World^R and Orwell's ^I1984^R. As dystopian fiction has branched out to embrace multiple viewpoints and agendas, the emphasis on language has remained at the center of the dystopian impulse. These include the first-person narrative dystopia, such as Anthony Burgess's ^IA Clockwork Orange^R; the feminist dystopia, such as Margaret Atwood's ^IThe Handmaid's Tale^R and Suzette Elgin's ^INative Tongue^R and ^IThe Judas Rose^R; and the post-apocalyptic/mythic dystopia, such as Russell Hoban's ^IRiddley Walker^R. While other scholars have often alluded to the importance of language within specific literary dystopias, this book transcends earlier studies by presenting a generic model of dystopian language use.

Download or read book 2 B R 0 2 B written by Kurt Vonnegut and published by . This book was released on 2017-08-19 with total page 40 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this chilling short-story by a master of the craft, Kurt Vonnegut creates a fictional world of the future where life and death are no longer matters of individual choice or destiny. The title refers to the famous quote from Hamlet, "To be or not to be...." with "0" being pronounced as "naught." It also refers to the eternal dilemma of life and death that face every human being at some point in their lives.Written in 1962 it is set in some unspecified time in the future, when earth has become a Utopia. The population is under control, there is no poverty, suffering or even natural death. Man has conquered all. It's common for humans to live for two centuries or more. Death happens only when someone requests it. 2BR02B in the story is the telephone number that volunteers must call when they are ready for assisted suicide. It belongs to the Federal Bureau of Termination which decides that for every child born, one person must volunteer to die. However, all is not perfect in this paradise - human beings still retain a spark of humanity and yearn for freedom.When the story opens, Edward Wehling, a youngish father-to-be is waiting for his wife to give birth. What follows is both spine-chilling and eerie. It makes you introspect about the future of humankind, whether the earth can sustain itself at the pace at which population is growing and about the ethics of concepts like assisted suicide. The reader pauses to wonder whether greater common good can replace love and the individual.2BR02B has memorable characters like the nameless two-hundred-year-old painter, the genial Dr Hitz who created the first population control gas-chamber and Leora Duncan a gas-chamber hostess.Apart from these, the story explores Vonnegut's favorite anti-establishment ideas, where the government is seen as the enemy of personal freedom. Art in the future, according to Vonnegut, will become dull, commercialized and prescribed by the state. Creativity and individual expression will die out along with other freedoms. Technology and scientific advancements will render simple human concepts of compassion and love redundant.Though the story is a trifle dated (it refers to the year 2000 as the year in which population control systems were first imposed, and the earth had run out of food and water) it is an interesting one that appeals to readers of all ages. In this chilling short-story by a master of the craft, Kurt Vonnegut creates a fictional world of the future where life and death are no longer matters of individual choice or destiny. The title refers to the famous quote from Hamlet, "To be or not to be...." with "0" being pronounced as "naught." It also refers to the eternal dilemma of life and death that face every human being at some point in their lives.Written in 1962 it is set in some unspecified time in the future, when earth has become a Utopia. The population is under control, there is no poverty, suffering or even natural death. Man has conquered all. It's common for humans to live for two centuries or more. Death happens only when someone requests it. 2BR02B in the story is the telephone number that volunteers must call when they are ready for assisted suicide. It belongs to the Federal Bureau of Termination which decides that for every child born, one person must volunteer to die. However, all is not perfect in this paradise - human beings still retain a spark of humanity and yearn for freedom.When the story opens, Edward Wehling, a youngish father-to-be is waiting for his wife to give birth. What follows is both spine-chilling and eerie. It makes you introspect about the future of humankind, whether the earth can sustain itself at the pace at which population is growing and about the ethics of concepts like assisted suicide. The reader pauses to wonder whether greater common good can replace love and the individual.

Download or read book The Language of Dystopia written by Jessica Norledge and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-08-29 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents an extended account of the language of dystopia, exploring the creativity and style of dystopian narratives and mapping the development of the genre from its early origins through to contemporary practice. Drawing upon stylistic, cognitive-poetic and narratological approaches, the work proposes a stylistic profile of dystopia, arguing for a reader-led discussion of genre that takes into account reader subjectivity and personal conceptualisations of prototypicality. In examining and identifying those aspects of language that characterise dystopian narratives and the experience of reading dystopian fictions, the work discusses in particular the manipulation and construction of dystopian languages, the conceptualisation of dystopian worlds, the reading of dystopian minds, the projection of dystopian ethics, the unreliability of dystopian refraction, and the evolution and hybridity of the dystopian genre.

Download or read book Newspeak Dictionary: The Language of Dystopia written by Gary J Byrnes and published by Gary J Byrnes. This book was released on with total page 19 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unlock the chilling power of language with the "Newspeak Dictionary," an essential guide to the official language of Oceania in George Orwell’s seminal dystopian novel, "1984." Crafted to control thought and quash rebellion, Newspeak is not just a linguistic tool but a weapon of totalitarian power, meticulously designed to eliminate unapproved patterns of thought and simplify the English language to the barest essentials. This comprehensive dictionary meticulously decodes the deliberately restrictive language used to enforce conformity and stifle free thought among the citizens of Orwell’s fictional superstate. Each entry is not only a definition but a glimpse into the dark heart of linguistic manipulation and authoritarian control. From commonplace terms like "thoughtcrime" and "doublethink" to the subtler nuances of "duckspeak" and "ownlife," this dictionary explores the terrifying efficacy of Newspeak in shaping reality and consciousness. Dive into the pages of the Newspeak Dictionary to explore the Orwellian vision of a world where language is both a prison and the key to understanding the mechanics of dystopia. Whether you're a student, scholar, or a curious mind seeking to understand the depth of Orwell's vision, this dictionary serves as a crucial companion to one of the most influential novels ever written, offering profound insights into the role of language in society and the endless battle for freedom of thought.

Download or read book Battle of the Linguist Mages written by Scotto Moore and published by Tordotcom. This book was released on 2022-01-11 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “This is a stand-alone novel with material enough for six... By the halfway point, it had blown my mind twice... an audacious, genre-bending whirlwind.” —New York Times “It reads like Snow Crash had a dance-off with Gideon the Ninth, in a world where language isn't a virus from outer space, it's a goddamn alien invasion.” —Charles Stross In modern day Los Angeles, a shadowy faction led by the Governor of California develops the arcane art of combat linguistics, planting the seeds of a future totalitarian empire. Isobel is the Queen of the medieval rave-themed VR game Sparkle Dungeon. Her prowess in the game makes her an ideal candidate to learn the secrets of "power morphemes"—unnaturally dense units of meaning that warp perception when skilfully pronounced. But Isobel’s reputation makes her the target of a strange resistance movement led by spellcasting anarchists, who may be the only thing stopping the cabal from toppling California over the edge of a terrible transformation, with forty million lives at stake. Time is short for Isobel to level up and choose a side—because the cabal has attracted much bigger and weirder enemies than the anarchist resistance, emerging from dark and vicious dimensions of reality and heading straight for planet Earth! At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Download or read book All Rights Reserved written by Gregory Scott Katsoulis and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2017-08-29 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a world where every word and gesture is copyrighted, patented or trademarked, one girl elects to remain silent rather than pay to speak, and her defiant and unexpected silence threatens to unravel the very fabric of society. Speth Jime is anxious to deliver her Last Day speech and celebrate her transition into adulthood. The moment she turns fifteen, Speth must pay for every word she speaks (“Sorry” is a flat ten dollars and a legal admission of guilt), for every nod ($0.99/sec), for every scream ($0.99/sec) and even every gesture of affection. She’s been raised to know the consequences of falling into debt, and can’t begin to imagine the pain of having her eyes shocked for speaking words that she’s unable to afford. But when Speth’s friend Beecher commits suicide rather than work off his family’s crippling debt, she can’t express her shock and dismay without breaking her Last Day contract and sending her family into Collection. Backed into a corner, Speth finds a loophole: rather than read her speech—rather than say anything at all—she closes her mouth and vows never to speak again. Speth’s unexpected defiance of tradition sparks a media frenzy, inspiring others to follow in her footsteps, and threatens to destroy her, her family and the entire city around them.

Download or read book Dystopia written by Janet McNulty and published by Speedy Publishing LLC. This book was released on 2013-05-08 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Imagine living in a world where everything you do is controlled. In the distant future the United States has been split into two regions separated by a barren wasteland; this is the country of Dystopia. Here the individual is discouraged, freedom is an illusion, food is rationed, and everything you do is tracked by a chip implanted in your arm. This is Dana Ginary's world. At age seventeen, people receive their career assignments chosen for them by a government body. Forced to work at the Waste Management Plant because she was declared too individualistic, Dana finds herself surrounded by death and brutality. Knowing her days are numbered, she looks for a way to leave the plant before she, too, becomes one of its causalities. It is then she meets a man named George and soon finds herself caught up in a cat and mouse game between the resistance and the Dystopian government. Dana finds herself faced with an agonizing choice of whom she will betray and whom she will save: her friend George, her parents, or herself.