Dystopian novels have always been the talk of the town whenever they have been published throughout history. A dystopian novel is written in contrast to the conventional utopian novels in classic literature, often set in an imaginary world where the authority is powerful, ruthless and overpowering. Interestingly, some dystopian novels seem to be a bit ahead of their time and have come true in some sense of the word. Here are some eerie similarities between dystopian novel plots and actual events.
1. From Big Brother To Big Brother:
Big Brother was a fictional character in the novel Nineteen eighty-four that became famous for its mysterious persona. The character never really appeared in any scene but only mentioned by other characters. The novel was published in 1949, showing how mass surveillance has stifled the people’s freedom and has been brainwashed to see Big Brother as their sole protector whose orders and commands must be followed religiously. As Big Brother’s eye was depicted in the novel as the eye spying on every move of yours, a reality TV show called Big Brother was launched in 2000 in which some people live in a house under constant surveillance just like in the novel. Although theories of mass surveillance through social media are prevalent, naming the TV show after the evil Big Brother is still an odd choice.
2. Tinder Idea:
The novel Logan’s Run was published in 1967, co-authored by William Nolan and George Johnson. Although the novel is dystopian fiction about a world in which resources are scarce, and the last age people are allowed to live up to is twenty-one. Logan has the job of capturing the runaways from this world. The novel mentions using a computer to find someone to mate with, pretty advanced for its time. Fifty-five years later, dystopia in real life, Tinder hits the market with the same million-dollar idea, the only difference being that Tinder is on a mobile phone. This seems to be a great thing coming true that should be celebrated, but the fact remains that Logan’s run was a dystopian novel, and so the computer software must be wired to do something that goes against people’s privacy.
3. The Time Machine In World Set Free:
The World Set Free is a novel written by H. G. Wells set in 1914. The novel described the working and impact of a nuclear bomb. Surprisingly. H. G. Wells was very accurate in explaining how the new bomb would be released from the planes and will be based on Uranium-based grenades that would use a chain reaction to regenerate and continue the atomic reaction indefinitely. Even more interesting is that the writer died just one month after the real atomic bombs were released. That is a real life dystopia.
4. Neuromancing In The 80s:
Neuromancer is a 1984 dystopian in real life novel by William Gibson about a technologically advanced but morally degenerated society. Even at the time when the first Windows had not made it to the computers, he had predicted the coming of games like Second Life and the concept of cybercrime. He used the word ‘Cyberspace’, which has become a part of technical jargon now.
5. Ready?
Ready Player One is a novel set in dystopia in 2044 written by Ernest Cline. Interestingly, it describes a virtual reality game in which people immerse themselves day and night in an avatar’s body because life, in reality, is too bad to face. The advanced technology being discussed in the novel is becoming a reality as holographic imagery and neuroscience are making giant leaps of progress. However, this ‘prediction’ can be termed a self-fulfilling prophecy because the novel itself is becoming a guide for creating virtual reality games a reality.
Dystopian novels often highlight the abuse of technology, abuse of power or misbalance in power distribution based on gender. One does not get motivated after reading such novels, but they challenged our complacence with the realities around us and pushed us to ask if it is possible to live in such a society.
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