Lauren Eads - Blog Post 3

Moylan’s Preface presents and builds on the idea that dystopian narrative is formed and based on the fears that plagued those during the twentieth century. He explains the different aspects of what makes a dystopia. Moylan’s ideas do, for the majority, match to those ideas of dystopia in Divergent, yet some ideas “mismatch” or conflict with those present in Divergent. 

In Preface, Moylan states that ,“Dystopian narrative is largely the product of the terrors of the twentieth century” (xi). These terrors mainly consist of war, violence, and disease, which though still present in our society, are not as prevalent as they were in the twentieth century. Within Divergent, some of these terrors are still present, but it is not the prominent terror. The prominent terror is limitations of individual rights and confinement of thought. Divergent states, “'People who get this kind of result...are called...Divergent.' She says the last word so quietly that I almost don't hear it, and her tense, worried look returns.” (Roth, 22). Divergence, or the ability to possess more than one specific ideology, is dangerous in a society that limits individual freedom and individual thought.

If Moylan were to write about twenty-first century dystopia, he would have to explore the fears of the twenty-first century because the prominent fears have changed. In this century, most people fear limitations of individual freedoms, control over  individual thought, terrorism, and censorship.