Journey of Hope in Dystopian Fiction

Öz

Utopian dreams and thought have become the symbol of humanity’s hopes and yearnings throughout different times and cultures. Dystopian narratives are not typically associated with hope as they produce nightmarish scenarios by extrapolating current anxieties and fears to the future. However, it is misleading to assert that dystopias lack hope because they depict dark worlds. Many dystopias retain the utopian impulse and hope in their cautionary critique. They aim to engender the desire to change and create a better future in the readers. In this context, there is a strong relation between utopia and dystopia that does not rely on a binary opposition. That is to say, utopia is not the antonym of dystopia or vice versa. Based on this approach, our study analyses the utopian impulse, the generic transformation of utopian and dystopian fiction, and the intertwined relationship between dystopian reality and hope.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Utopia
• dystopia
• critical dystopia
• anti-anti-utopianism
• cynicism
• Capitalocene

Distopik Yazında Umudun Yolculuğu

Öz

Ütopya temsilleri ve ütopyacı düşünce, tüm çağ ve kültürlerde insanlığın umut ve özlemlerinin sembolü olmuştur. Distopik anlatılar ise içinde bulunulan tarihsel bağlama dair kaygı ve korkuları geleceğe yansıtarak kâbusvari senaryolar ürettiklerinden genellikle umutla ilişkilendirilmezler. Ancak karanlık dünyaları tasvir ediyorlar diye tüm distopyaların umuttan yoksun olduğunu iddia etmek yanıltıcıdır. Çoğu distopya, ütopik dürtüyü ve umudu uyarı niteliği taşıyan eleştirilerinde barındırır ve okurda değişim ve daha iyi bir gelecek yaratma arzusu uyandırmayı amaçlar. Bu bağlamda ütopya ile distopya arasında ikili karşıtlara dayanmayan güçlü bir ilişki vardır. Ütopya distopyanın ya da distopya ütopyanın karşıtı değildir. Çalışmamız bu savdan yola çıkarak ütopya ve distopya ilişkisi bağlamında ütopik dürtüyü, ütopya ve distopya yazınının geçirdiği türsel dönüşümü ve distopik gerçekliğin umutla içkinliğini inceler.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Ütopya
• distopya
• ümitvar distopya
• anti-anti-ütopyacılık
• kinizm
• Kapitalosen

Kaynakça

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