Depictions of imaginary ideal societies, as well as the critiques thereof, are a popular genre and staple of world culture, including literature. One may reasonably argue that the difference between utopia and dystopia is in the eye of the beholder, as it ultimately depends on one’s ideas of a perfect society. However, there is also a difference of purpose: dystopias are a warning, and utopias are meant as a model – but, as such, need thorough critical scrutiny.
A classic example of dystopian writing is Orwell’s 1984 – both because it leaves no doubts about its attitude toward the society depicted and about the reasons why the author penned this cautionary tale. Admittedly, the people living in the IngSoc society are expected to think their society is perfect. However, closer to the book’s end, O’Brien openly declares it “the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias,” making it clear that, whatever the concerns of the Party are, they are not Utopian (Orwell, n.d., p. 336). Apart from that, Orwell sets his novel firmly within the historical context to elaborate on the roots of his imaginary dystopian regime. O’Brien explicitly refers to the Inquisition and the Nazis and Communists as the historical steps in perfecting the techniques of suppression (Orwell, n.d.). By doing so, the author points at the real historical developments that warrant his fears and explains to the audience why a warning, such as 1984, is needed.
In order to identify the characteristic features of utopia as a positive model, there is no better example than the book that coined the term in the first place – More’s Utopia. In this famous text, the Early Modern Author describes an imaginary island of Utopia (literally “no-place” in Greek) as a model of a perfect society to reflect on and emulate. Once again, there is no question of More’s (1551) position toward the imaginary society he constructs, and the utopian character of his writings is as clear as the dystopian message of 1984. More (1551) describes Utopians as living in accordance with nature and God’s will and pursuing virtue toward the useful and reasonable satisfaction of their needs. Moreover, it is precisely the kind of hedonistic utopia that O’Brien refers to in 1984 because, being the utilitarians they are, Utopians posit that all virtues ultimately culminate in pleasure (More, 1551). As such, Utopia – at least according to its author – is definitely a pleasant example to emulate rather than a dreaded vision of the future avoid.
However, closer scrutiny of More’s supposedly ideal society reveals many features that easily fit within the dystopian framework of Orwell’s 1984. For example, in Utopia, More (1551) praises the inhabitants of his wondrous land for their chaste and monogamous customs, noting that those practicing premarital sex are severely punished. However, Orwell’s (n.d.) dystopia takes this idea to its logical conclusion and describes a society that suppresses natural human urges through organizations like the “Junior Anti-Sex League” (p. 13). Similarly, Huxley’s (2010) Brave New World develops the idea of pleasures used as a measure of virtue to portray the society of sanctified mindless consumption, thus indirectly mocking Utopia’s utilitarianism. These examples demonstrate that the model societies presented in dystopias require consistent scrutiny to evaluate the ideas that lie at their base.
In short, the difference between utopias and dystopias is not only in the author’s and audience’s perception but also in the intent behind the work. While utopias genuinely construct the project of model societies to strive for, dystopias reflect on the troubling social and political trends to offer a warning. Consequently, utopian models of the social organization need scrutiny before actually considering them worthy of imitation, even to a small degree.
References
Huxley, A. (2010). Brave New World. Rosetta Books.
More, T. (1551). Utopia. Project Gutenberg. Web.
Orwell, G. (N.d.) 1984. Planet eBook. Web.