CONTENTS (bookmarks):
1. Can you
help me find material about a certain dystopia?
2. Can you
recommend any literature about dystopian fiction?
3. Can you
help me write an essay?
4. Can
you help me classify a dystopia?
5. Why
don't you cover dystopia X?
6. Are
articles and essays welcome?
7. Are
fictional stories welcome?
8. When
will page X be finished?
9. Will
you write an analysis about dystopia X?
10. Will
you switch to a faster server?
11. Where
are you from?
12. Do
you have the Ingsoc logotype?
13. Why
don't you cover utopias?
14. Are
you interested in link exchanges?
15. What
are the best dystopias in your opinion?
16. Do
you have any academic credentials?
17. What's
the deal with the different adresses?
18. Why
don't you use the X method to avoid spam?
1. Can you help me find
material about a certain dystopia?
Yes, I can, but don't
expect miracles. One of the reasons Exploring Dystopia was created in
the first place, is the obvious lack of explicit resources. This especially
concerns new dystopian fiction, e.g. Minority Report.
Basically, I can help you find useful links, related issues and
different approaches; possibly also newsgroups and forums which might
be of interest. Also, take the opportunity to investigate the link
page, which contains many sites that can serve as good
starting-points.
2. Can you recommend
any literature about dystopian fiction?
There is some literature
available, but it's limited. As far as I know, there is no
comprehensive general academic work about dystopian fiction available.
A quick search of Amazon.com
usually generates a list of titles that might be helpful. A few general works
which I recommend:
-
Grolier
Science Fiction: The Multimedia encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
This is an extremely comprehensive CD-ROM which covers every
thinkable and unthinkable aspect of science fiction, including
dystopias.
-
Encyclopedia
of Science Fiction, ed. Peter Nicholls and John
Clute. Grolier's CD-ROM is based on this Hugo Award-winning
work. I have yet to read it, but it's most probably as extensive
as the CD-ROM.
-
The Ultimate
Encyclopedia of Science Fiction: The Definitive Illustrated Guide,
ed. David Pringle. Although it doesn't analyses the dystopian
concept explicitely, it mentions a multitude of dystopian
depictions, related subjects and specific authors and directors.
-
Utopia —
Dystopia, Sam J
Lundwall. A somewhat dated analysis of the utopian
and dystopian conepts; the cyberpunk genre is not included, for
instance. Nevertheless, it offers truly original and provoking
perspectives, often presented together with real examples. Lundwall has written a multitude of
interesting essays on fantastic fiction, but many of them are in
Swedish only, unfortunately.
-
Trillion Year
Spree: The History of Science Fiction, Brian Aldiss
and David Wingrove. Includes dystopian themes and dissects
a few dystopias and semi-dystopias. Aldiss has written a multitude
of essays on science fiction, and has collaborated with Sam J
Lundwall.
-
Dystopian Fiction
East and West Universe of Terror and Trial,
Erika Gottlieb. A
comprehensive academic study. It's specialised and esoteric in
many respects, but it's undoubtedly an excellent source if you are
writing an advanced paper or essay on university level. Many fancy
theories...
There are quite a few
academic articles concerning specific dystopian depictions, themes and concepts
available; they are often quite specialised and esoteric, though. However,
this is an utter jungle. If you are a student, I simply recommend that
you use the databases in your school library, if available.
3. Can you help me
write an essay for school?
No, I can't,
unfortunately. First, my spare-time is limited and I have other
priorities. Second, it's really a disservice, since you won't train
your analysis skills. But I can help you to find an interesting approach
and some
helpful links, as well as give you feedback on your text.
4. Can you help me
categorise a certain dystopia?
Yes, and no. Actually,
there are very few established labels for dystopian categories, and
the categorisation page is merely an experiment. But if you contact
me, we can of course discuss the matter and try to find a suitable
label.
5. Why don't you cover dystopia X?
The main focus of
Exploring Dystopia is to cover
influential, typical and original dystopias; thus, several dystopias
are likely to be ignored or forgotten. I don't
pretend to know every single dystopia, though. In fact, there are probably
dozens of dystopias I have never even heard of. In other words,
recommendations are most welcome.
6. Are articles and essays welcome?
Yes, they are. Exploring
Dystopia is not an ego-project, so contributions are more than welcome.
Basically, I'm interested in all kinds of contributions, but primarily
analyses of specific dystopian depictions, concepts and themes. If
you have an idea about a text you want to write, please contact me and
we can discuss it. Just remember that since Exploring Dystopia is a
conceptual site, I have certain standards.
7. Are fictional stories welcome?
I wish I could support
this creative form of fandom, but I'm more or less forced to focus on
the main contents, i.e. the analyses. If you have a dystopian fiction
site, I will of course help you to promote it on Exploring Dystopia,
though.
8. When will
page X be finished?
Exploring Dystopia is a
hobby project. Currently, I only have enough time to update the site
once or twice a month, sometimes less than that. Usually, I have a couple of pages under
construction. If you need a specific page, contact me and I
might give it priority. I don't like promises, though.
9. Will you write an analysis about dystopia X?
Exploring Dystopia is
meant to be a kind of database about dystopias; the Cyberpunk
Information Database is one source of inspiration. Ideally, every
single dystopia there is should be covered in some way. Needless to say, this
will take some time, and I have to give priority to the most
influential, typical and original dystopias. But if you have any
suggestions, feel free to contact me.
10. Will you switch to
a faster server?
No. I have tried quite a
few web hotels, and they have a tendency to reduce or even terminate
their services in the long run. The web hotel I use now is likely to
remain for years, it's easy to use, and above all, it doesn't cost
me a single dime.
11. Where are
you from?
I'm from Sweden, Northern Europe;
Swedish is my mother tongue. Since English is my
second language, corrections of spelling and grammar are most welcome.
I might add to German visitors that although Swedish and German are
related languages, I can only understand written German to a limited
degree; I never took German in school, unfortunately.
12. Do you have the Ingsoc logotype?
Yes, here it is:
You may use it as you
see fit. Just remember that I don't own the rights to this design;
it's the property of the producers of Michael Radford's movie
adaptation of Nineteen Eighty-four.
13. Why don't you cover
utopias?
First of all, there are
already plenty of good sites which cover utopian fiction.
Second, dystopian fiction is a large and demanding subject in itself;
I don't have that much spare-time to my disposal. Of course, one can
always claim that every utopia is a potential crypto-dystopia, and I
concur in many respects. However, I think the instrumental distinction
between Utopia and Dystopia is quite handy, and makes it easier to
understand these in essence very complex concepts.
14. Are you interested in link
exchanges?
Yes, if your site, to one
degree or another, is relevant to dystopian fiction and if it might interest and benefit my visitors. I don't see the promotion of my
site as an end in itself. If it remains obscure, then so be it.
Furthermore, I will only add a site to the link page if I can evaluate
its contents easily. Thus, I will only add sites in languages which I
understand, i.e. English, Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. I also
understand German and French to a limited degree, but I can't promise
I'll inlcude a site in one of these languages.
15. What are the best dystopias
in your opinion?
There are two dystopian
depictions I constantly return to: Nineteen Eighty-four
and Blade Runner. I also find The Handmaid's Tale
and Fatherland to be completely mesmorising. Other works
which really have fascinated me, for different reasons, are, in no
particular order, Metropolis, The Man in the High
Castle, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Neuromancer,
Make Room, Make Room!, Outland, The
Forever War, Japan Sinks, The Terminator,
Aliens, On the Beach, Equilibrium,
Fahrenheit 451, Gattaca, Strange Days,
Warday, The Matrix and Dark City.
This is a completely subjective selection, and there is many a good
dystopian depiction I have yet to read or see.
16. Do you have any
academic credentials?
No, not really. I have
studied Literature and English on academic level, which have included
studies of dystopian fiction, and the title of my exam essay was
"The Pedagogical Potential of Dystopian Fiction". That's it.
I want to stress that
Exploring Dystopia isn't an academic project in any respect. It's just a
creative hobby project.
17. What's the deal
with the different adresses?
I've only received one
letter concerning this issue, but better safe than sorry.
The adress http://hem.passagen.se/replikant
is the official adress, used in search engines and directories.
The adress http://www.dystopias.tk
is simply a redirection service for your convenience.
Theses are the only two
adresses of Exploring Dystopia.
18. Why don't you use
the X method to avoid spam?
I've tried various
technical solutions, e.g. Java scripts and spam filters, but the current
method is the most effective and the most convenient solution for me.
