Description and Objectives

Dystopian Literature

Dystopian literature has a strong pull on the modern imagination, as evidence by its ubiquity, ranging from the woefully weak (The Hunger Games) to the strikingly strong (Lord of the Flies). In this course students will  learn the common settings and themes in dystopian literature, with a special focus on the themes of death and rebirth, destruction and resurrection. Students will practice both creative and critical writing.

Dystopian Literature Syllabus

 

Textbooks

Texts include Fahrenheit 451, A Canticle for Leibowitz, Brave New World, The Road, and Lord of the Flies, supplemented by selections from the likes of 1984 and The Time Machine, and analysis of clips from The Book of Eli and the Blade Runner films.

Course Requirements

Attendance, daily reading and writing in and out of class, thorough interpretive note-taking, prompt and accurate mini-quiz completion at the beginning of class, enthusiasm, good citizenship.

Successful Students

Will be thoroughly familiar with assigned texts before class begins, will turn in writing assignments early so as to achieve the multiple redrafts likely required, will pass all mini-quizzes (given in the first two minutes of class), and will communicate promptly and regularly with the teacher.