Jenny in Florida Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Now that we've jumped off the classical homeschooling bridge and are off doing our own thing, I'm considering trying an idea I've been noodling around with for years. I'd like to spend next year with my son reading and studying dystopican novels. Here's the quick list I came up with this morning: Brave New World 1984 Fahrenheit 451 Handmaid’s Tale Anthem The Giver Animal Farm Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The Time Machine And, for fun, if he's interested, I could hand him The Hunger Games trilogy and (recommended by my daughter) The Uglies series. So, first question: What must-read titles have I left off the list? Second, can anyone suggest any study guides or resources that might be helpful as I plan for us? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Here's some info that might be helpful. http://www.squidoo.com/best-dystopian-novels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Now that we've jumped off the classical homeschooling bridge and are off doing our own thing, I'm considering trying an idea I've been noodling around with for years. I'd like to spend next year with my son reading and studying dystopican novels. Here's the quick list I came up with this morning: Brave New World 1984 Fahrenheit 451 Handmaid’s Tale Anthem The Giver Animal Farm Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The Time Machine And, for fun, if he's interested, I could hand him The Hunger Games trilogy and (recommended by my daughter) The Uglies series. So, first question: What must-read titles have I left off the list? Second, can anyone suggest any study guides or resources that might be helpful as I plan for us? Thanks! You might want to start with More's Utopia as a reference. Gulliver's Travels has (in sections 3 and 4) lands that represent more or less "perfect" societies. We is a Soviet dystopian novel that predates Brave New World. You might consider pairing it with One Day in the Life of Eugene Denisovich. Several Phillip K. Dick novels deal with "ideal" and engineered societies of the future that give less than was promised. (And a significant number of his stories were made into movies.) I think that the following are all his: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep/Bladerunner, Minority Report, Total Recall. Watership Down has dystopian elements. For books about real life utopias gone awry, you have Ivan Denisovich, Red Scarf Girl, and A Cambodian Odyssey (about Haing Ngor, who acted in The Killing Fields). Each of these portrays a society that has positioned itself as producing a utopia, but that is persecuting those who don't toe the line. I actually found The Giver to be one of the darkest of the books you've listed. Maybe it was that my son was about the age of the little boy, Gabe. But I found that it disturbed me far more than books like 1984 or Brave New World. My understanding is that the sequels (Gathering Blue and ??) give a little more resolution to the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 another title you might want to include is Miller Canticle for Leibowitz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquinas Academy Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I wouldn't say it's a must read, but another "for fun" book is The Declaration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 My ds and I did a run through dystopian fiction. In addition to your list we enjoyed: The House of the Scorpion Feed (watch for terrible language and wretched grammar in this) Our dystopian reads branched from reading about what it means to be human and part of society. We had read these books around the same time: The Prince Metamorphosis Frankenstein The Plague Hard-Boiled Wonderland at the End of the World The Communist Manifesto If you need another post-apocalyptic science fiction book, A Canticle for Leibowitz is a classic worth adding to any list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I'd add Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. And if you're up for more Atwood, I really liked Oryx and Crake. Didn't so much love the sequel/companion Year of the Flood, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Create Your Ritual Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I thought Divergent was also good, as well as Enclave. They were both released earlier this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewelma Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake is absolutely fabulous. It would be a good contrast to some of the others as its distopian nature is apparently one of a kind. Ruth in NZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embassy Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Walden Two by B.F. Skinner was a great read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onaclairadeluna Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Lord of the Flies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Depending on your sensibities, you might want to consider Alan Moore's classic graphic novel, The Watchmen. I could never appreciate the book, but my son who enjoys Dystopian literature gives it a high rating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 What a wonderful thread! We have had them before and the op should look up Lori D's recommendations as well, but there are new suggestions here that I have not yet run across. Thank you all so much. We did find going to the source, Moore's Utopia to be as unnerving as anything else we have read so far. We added in an essay by Orwell on language to tie in with 1984 and a recent talk on NPR with regards to the evolution of language and society. This topic is opening all sorts of literary doors for my 13 year old that I have classified as a "non-reader." Have fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Depending on your sensibities, you might want to consider Alan Moore's classic graphic novel, The Watchmen. I could never appreciate the book, but my son who enjoys Dystopian literature gives it a high rating. Jane, I just called a family member who owns a comic book store and collects classic graphic novels. She nearly swooned when I made my request.:tongue_smilie: My boys actually had me go through a list of Simpsons' episodes and pick out the ones with literary allusions. The oldest decided he would read the work and then watch the comic episode. Homeschooling takes all forms, doesn't it? Lunch break featured a War of the Worlds episode.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) DS was really interested in worldview, and in sci-fi, so we put together our own course. Some of the works are directly dystopian works; others only touch on the concept; and still others had nothing to do with dystopia. Briefly, to help define what a dystopian work is, what we saw is that Paradise is the perfect created world by God. Utopia is man's attempt to recreate or make a perfect world from the fallen sinful world without God's help -- but due to man's basic fallen nature, utopia: 1. is always at a cost (loss of something of what makes us human; cost to someone/someone bears the burden of the fallen nature so everyone else can have an "uninformed peace") 2. always falls short of true perfection and Paradise And so ultimately, utopia, becomes dystopia (imperfection) and leads to further loss, and some sort of violence (physical, emotional, spiritual) against at least some segment of humanity in order to maintain the status quo for the majority of the society. Here's the Wikipedia definition of Dystopia. Here's a *great* wikipedia list of 1-sentence definitions of many literary movements/worldview terms: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_movements Wikipedia list of art movements: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_art_movements Wikipedia list of philosophies/school of philosophical movements: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_philosophies GREAT for discussion! Enjoy! Warmest regards, Lori D. "Worldviews in Classic Sci-Fi Literature" 1 The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (Stevenson) worldview: Christian worldview (man is basically sinful and cannot on his own seperate himself from his sinful nature) guide: Progeny Press; Sparknotes; Glencoe Literature Library free online guide comments: Not long, but the Victorian language/sentence structure slowed us down a bit. However, REALLY great to compare/contrast with Frankenstein. 2. Frankenstein (Shelley) worldview: Romanticism (the individual and his/her emotions are the most important thing; nature (the creation) exalted over the Creator (God)). guide: Progeny Press; Sparknotes; free online guide at Glencoe Literature Library comments: Over-written, and so a slow read -- BUT, it is because it is exemplifying an aspect of romanticism (long descriptions of the landscape, which mirrors the characters' inner emotions and states of mind). 3. The Time Machine (Wells) worldview: evolution; socialism guide: found an ~okay~ online guide [wasn't available for us, but check out this free Penguin Group guide or Sparknotes guide] comments: Fast read; easy to discuss. 4. Animal Farm (Orwell) worldview: communism/capitalism guide: Sparknotes; Glencoe Literature Library free online guide comments: Fast read; enjoyable; easy to discuss. 5. The Giver (Lowry) worldview: utopia/dystopia guide: Discovering Literature Garlic Press pub.; Sparknotes comments: Fast read; easy to discuss. 6. Brave New World (Huxley) worldview: utopia/dystopia guide: Sparknotes comments: Longer work; not difficult to read; lots to discuss -- MATURE THEMES -- PREVIEW! 7. Farenheit 451 (Bradbury) worldview: loss of literacy in a culture leads to loss of rationality/critical thinking skills; rise of the primacy of the image leads to emotions guide: Progeny Press; Sparknotes comments: Medium length; poetic in writing style; vivid images; several lengthy thematic discussions by the characters. 8. A Canticle for Leibowitz (Miller) worldview: post apocalyptic work; destructive nature of man: rise to power/self destructive cycle of the state vs. church preserving culture/literacy/knowledge guide: Wikipedia article; online guide by Paul Brians comments: A longer work, very well-written, takes time to think about and absorb; lots to discuss; could also read Neal Stevenson's "Anathema" afterwards for a very interesting compare/contrast discussion. 9. a few short stories from Cosmicomics (Calvino) worldview: existentialism guide: Wikipedia article on author Calvino [no personal experience with it, but here's an online one for a fee at Bookrags] comments: Not overt and it will most likely go over the heads of students, but a few works have the edge of a theme that runs through all of Calvino's works: the male sexual longing for women. 10./11. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Adams) worldview: absurdism (read briefly about nihilism first; absurdism follows it) guide: Wikipedia article: Absurdism, and Absurdist Fiction; [here's a Bookrags guide for a fee] comments: Fun; fast read; really captures absurdism! Ideas for other dystopian works: - 1984 (Orwell) -- totalitarian dystopian state - short story: The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas (LeGuin) -- human cost of a utopia turns it into a dystopia - Lord of the Flies (Golding) -- attempts to build utopia by fallen human nature while not permiting God's redemption is doomed to devolve into dystopia - Perelandra (Lewis) -- view of a true Paradise to compare to utopia/dystopia Two films to watch and discuss: The Truman Show (very mild swearing in 1-2 places) Truman, from the moment of birth, lives in an artificial world solely constructed for him (utopia), which thousands of cameras to broadcast his every move and word as an entertainment show to the world. When he slowly becomes aware of his situation, will he choose to stay in his stable, pleasant, every-need-met-but-artificial environment, or choose the real world which includes suffering and difficulties? Gattica (one discreetly handled) scene of sexual intimacy) Genetic engineering makes a future, classed society ("utopia") in which those who are not genetic engineered ("invalids") can only get the worst of jobs ("dystopia"). What happens when a very bright and very motivated "invalid" wants to make the most of himself and reach for the stars by "borrowing" (with consent) the background of a genetically perfect young man who doesn't want to go on living now that he is confined to a wheelchair. The value of suffering and hard work in helping us achieve more and overcome weaknesses vs. having it all (genetically speaking) and unable to persevere when difficulties come our way. And then these, while not directly utopian/dystopian, DO cover ideas that are foundational to utopian/dystopian themes: - Below the Root (Snyder) -- young adult book; peace at what price? - Enchantress from the Stars (Engdahl) -- young adult book; when does help become interference with another culture - House of Stairs (Sleator) -- young adult book; societal implications of behavior modification - Lathe of Heaven (LeGuin) -- trying to control your world/environment is doomed to fail, always having unpredictable outcomes - Ender's Game (Card) -- cost/loss that comes by training children to be ultimate soldiers to protect the overall society; anti-war themes - Children of Men (James) -- twist of what can turn around an aging/dying/self-centered Earth where men are now infertile; NOT the creation of a utopia/dystopia, but by focusing on others and selflessness (NOTE: PREVIEW first; mature themes!) Edited October 28, 2011 by Lori D. added links Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 There's also This Perfect Day by Ira Levin. It's still in print... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Not classic fiction, but there's the book World Made by Hand, which is the author's vision of how things are going to turn out in the not too distant future. He also wrote the book The Long Emergency (nonfiction) about what will happen when the world runs out of oil. It would be interesting to pair the two, with The Long Emergency first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 You should read Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy first. It's an actual Utopia rather than a dystopia. Divergent is the first book in a trilogy. Society is divided into 4 groups based on character traits: wisdom, selflessness, bravery, and love. On choosing day during your 16th (I think) year, you have to choose which group to stay with. Delirium is the first book in another trilogy. In this series, love is a disease that is eradicated by a surgery that is performed after the age of 16 (or 18, can't remember which). If they do it early, it tends to cause brain damage. Truesight is interesting. My library only has the first book, so I'm going to buy the other two. In this series, the philosophy of truesight was formed by people who were blind and didn't want to correct that in their children when it became a possibility because they thought they could "see" better as blind people than those with sight could. They ended up founding multiple colonies for the blind. To join the colonies, you had to have an operation to remove your sight. Declaration is the first book in a trilogy and I've read all of them. They were pretty good. In this series, a drug called longevity has been created that extends life essentially forever, but people who take the drug have to sign a declaration to never had children. The main character is an illegal child. The Other Side of the Island was good. It's been a long time since I read it though. It needs a sequel, but I don't know if she's planning to write one. Also I thought The Sky Inside and The Walls Have Eyes were very well done. This Perfect Day Lathe of Heaven Below the Root, Until the Celebration, And All the World Between trilogy Pallas (L Neil Smith) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tohru Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 :lurk5: Recently read Unwind and it was really good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Definitely Unwind too. It's the creepiest book I've ever read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candid Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Walden Two by B.F. Skinner was a great read. I'll second this. It isn't a particularly exciting novel, but one of the few positive Utopian novels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 My ds and I did a run through dystopian fiction. In addition to your list we enjoyed:The House of the Scorpion Feed (watch for terrible language and wretched grammar in this) Our dystopian reads branched from reading about what it means to be human and part of society. We had read these books around the same time: The Prince Metamorphosis Frankenstein The Plague Hard-Boiled Wonderland at the End of the World The Communist Manifesto If you need another post-apocalyptic science fiction book, A Canticle for Leibowitz is a classic worth adding to any list. When I wrote up my list, I was thinking that there also seemed to be a natural rabbit trail into post appocalyptic literature and books about cultures that are on the edge of survival. (Though maybe that's in part because I was headed out to hear Max Brooks talk about zombies and World War Z.) In addition to World War Z, you have books like Fail/Safe; Alas, Babylon; On the Beach, maybe even Ender's Game (as an example of what a culture is willing to sacrifice in order to save itself), Starship Troopers or The Forever War. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 When I wrote up my list, I was thinking that there also seemed to be a natural rabbit trail into post appocalyptic literature and books about cultures that are on the edge of survival. (Though maybe that's in part because I was headed out to hear Max Brooks talk about zombies and World War Z.) In addition to World War Z, you have books like Fail/Safe; Alas, Babylon; On the Beach, maybe even Ender's Game (as an example of what a culture is willing to sacrifice in order to save itself), Starship Troopers or The Forever War. Oh - Yes. This is a terrific trail to follow and great books to add to the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momsquared Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I'd add Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. And if you're up for more Atwood, I really liked Oryx and Crake. Didn't so much love the sequel/companion Year of the Flood, though. I was going to recommend Never Let Me Go. Great book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momsquared Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 My ds and I did a run through dystopian fiction. In addition to your list we enjoyed:The House of the Scorpion Feed (watch for terrible language and wretched grammar in this) Our dystopian reads branched from reading about what it means to be human and part of society. We had read these books around the same time: The Prince Metamorphosis Frankenstein The Plague Hard-Boiled Wonderland at the End of the World The Communist Manifesto If you need another post-apocalyptic science fiction book, A Canticle for Leibowitz is a classic worth adding to any list. This list could be a nice segue into Existentialism. I am a huge Al Camus fan and adore teaching The Stranger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asta Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 (edited) My fave is The Lathe of Heaven. Get the movie from 1980 - most libraries have it - and prepare to rewind several times to "catch" dialog. There are so many levels to it, and so many "little" things that kid may notice, even if you don't -- we adults have jaded eyes... It really is interesting. a P.S. The magic quote, from Chuang Tse: "Those whom heaven helps we call the sons of heaven. They do not learn this by learning. They do not work it by working. They do not reason it by using reason. To let understanding stop at what cannot be understood is a high attainment. Those who cannot do it will be destroyed on the lathe of heaven." Edited October 29, 2011 by asta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 I really enjoyed Divergent, too. I'm also reading a dystopian book right now called Birth Marked that's quite good. Dystopian literature is really big in YA novels at the moment, and there are a lot of good ones. The classics are great, but the more modern novels will probably connect with kids on a more personal level, so I'd definitely include several of the latter. Googling "dystopian YA books" will probably give you more ideas than you could ever read in a lifetime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Awesome suggestions!:lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 Thanks, everyone. You've jogged my memory for some titles I'd forgotten and given me whole new ideas to explore. This should be fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emerald Stoker Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 There's also Hegland's Into the Forest. Scarred me for life, that one did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tntgoodwin Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 What about The Shadow Children series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trafal Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank Lucifer's Hammer by larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 In 7th/8th grade we did a Utopia/Dystopia unit in Reading. We read 1984 Brave New World Animal Farm Lord of the Flies and Lost Horizon by James Hilton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 A year reading and discussing dystopian novels? You might want to add some anti-depressants to your Amazon cart! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punchie Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 The Chrysalids by John Wyndham (short, one of my favorites) Wasp by Eric Frank Russell (haven't read it yet, but it looks good) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessBride Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 I just last night finished reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. Dystopia and zombies! ;) There are two more books in the series. I'm still processing it, but there was an interesting tension between loss of freedom with safety vs. freedom with risk. And throughout the book people are called on to make some fairly horrific choices. Might be an interesting, modern YA addition to your list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storm Bay Posted November 3, 2011 Share Posted November 3, 2011 Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake is absolutely fabulous. It would be a good contrast to some of the others as its distopian nature is apparently one of a kind. Ruth in NZ Many have been mentione, but two I didn't notice in my visual can were: The Hunger Games series (okay, not just one book, technically) & The Handmaid's Tale (I'd preread that one first) is another. I liked the first 2 Gormenghast books at age 19, but not the third, although I think that's an important one in light of this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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