Megan Lightcap - Blog Post 3

In Preface, Moylan mentions many aspects of dystopian literature in the twentieth century, some of which is still prevalent to dystopian works today. One example would be that the themes of dystopias tend to be a reflection on the current problems and concerns of society (Moylan xi). However, there are also many points about dystopian literature that are no longer considered a major part of these works of literature. As times have changed, the basic aspects of dystopias have remained constant, but the specific aspects of these dystopian works have changed dramatically.

There are many aspects of Moylan’s Preface that do not fit with twenty-first century dystopias, specifically Divergent, by Veronica Roth. For example, Moylan says that dystopian works use historical events for the basis for the problems of society (Moylan xi). Moylan also mentions that “the dystopian text opens in the midst of a social ‘elsewhere’”(Moylan xiii), however Divergent takes place in a futuristic Chicago (Roth 214). Another common theme of twentieth century dystopias is that there are fewer feminist ideas from the 1980s on, however many of the protagonists in today’s dystopias are very strong and brave females (Moylan xv).

If Moylan were to rewrite Preface to include the main aspects of modern dystopias, he would probably include that dystopias now are more about fitting into society and accepting social norms than about the hardships of war or other nationwide problems. For example, Tris points out “I didn’t jump off the roof because I wanted to be like the Dauntless. I jumped off because I already was like them, and I wanted to show myself to them” (Roth 263). Tris based many of her decisions on how other people would view her and whether the way she was acting was socially acceptable in the faction she was in.