Definition
Dystopian fiction portrays societies where oppressive systems, surveillance, or catastrophe have normalized suffering or control. Stories often follow characters who resist, survive, or expose the system's lies.
Example
A teenager selected for a televised punishment ritual in a totalitarian state is dystopian fiction.
Related terms
Common mistakes
- Building a bleak world without a clear point of view on why the system persists.
- Confusing dystopia with post-apocalypse; a society can be dystopian without global collapse.