dystopian synthesis essay

What is Dystopia? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples

Dystopia definition.

Dystopian literature is a genre of fiction set in future or near-future societies where life and social structures are in calamitous decline. Authors of dystopian literature typically use the  setting  to examine social and political systems and contemplate what would happen if these systems were amplified. The result is often a society in shambles, with rampant oppression, violence, poverty, and revolution.

The etymology of the word  dystopia  (dis-TOE-pee-uh) describes these settings succinctly but perfectly. By combining the Ancient Greek  dys , meaning “bad” +  topos , meaning “place,”  dystopia  literally means “bad place.”

The Characteristics of Dystopian Settings

Many dystopias share similar characteristics, including:

• Economic challenges:  There’s widespread poverty that the citizens must endure, or there are massive gaps in wealth that create a ruling class of elites and relegate everyone else to a life of scarcity and hardship.
• Environmental damage:  Environmental devastation wreaks havoc on the lives and fates of the characters. This destruction might take the form of major weather events, like earthquakes or floods; climate change and its disastrous effects; or the ramifications of pollution, overpopulation, or disregard for the planet and its finite resources.
• Government influence:  Typically, there’s either no government overseeing law, order, and civilization, or there’s a domineering government that operates a police state and controls and monitors the lives of all citizens.
• Loss of freedom or individual identity:  A dystopian society often robs its citizens of their basic freedoms and/or individualism. It reduces them to sheep who must blindly follow the dictates of a tyrannical and unjust system.
• Propaganda:  The existing power structure in a dystopia produces propaganda to keep the citizenry in line. Such propaganda might present a deceptive “everything is fine“ picture of life in order to control the population, or it might incite fear and terror and, thus, generate an excuse to engage in further domination and subjugation.
• Survival:  The characters in a dystopian setting are in a fight to survive the oppressive conditions in which they find themselves. They must resort to extreme measures to protect themselves and those around them, which usually means rebelling against the powers that be.
• Technology:  Advancements in technology tend to play a key role in controlling or tracking the citizens of a dystopia. Rather than solving problems, technology creates them—damaging relationships, reinforcing hierarchies and power structures, and reducing quality of life.

Subsets of Dystopian Literature

Dystopian literature is itself a subgenre of speculative fiction. Speculative fiction takes place in settings that could potentially be a reality but are hypothetical at the time of writing. This hypothetical quality separates speculative fiction from works of pure  science fiction or fantasy . Speculative fiction possesses certain plot points that root them to existing realities. The  narratives  are not as hyper-focused on science, technology, supernatural elements, and other hallmarks of science fiction and fantasy literature. Instead, they center around the human responses to these themes.

There are also subsets of dystopian fiction. Some works combine both a eutopia—an idealized, perfect world—and a dystopia. Ectopian fiction takes place in a dystopia or eutopia and emphasizes environmental issues, such as the preservation or destruction of the story’s natural environment. Feminist dystopias utilize their  settings  to critique male-dominated social and political structures and the relationship between gender identity and power.

Dystopias vs. Eutopias

Eutopias are the opposite of dystopias because they’re idealized worlds that readers find pleasing and appealing. They are visions of perfect societies that are usually in line with the author’s personal philosophies and belief systems.  Conflict  still exists in utopian fiction, but it typically arises from human foibles and misunderstandings rather than from the setting itself.

While both dystopias and eutopias can contain satirical elements as a way of humorously critiquing someone or something,  satire  is far more common in a utopian setting, as the picture-perfect world is, by nature, more conducive to lightness and humor than the bleakness painted by a dystopia.

The Function of Dystopias

This setting/genre of literature examines the weaknesses in social and political systems and the complexity of human nature. Magnifying these subjects within a dystopian setting allows the author to illustrate what might happen if power runs unchecked and/or if existing structures of governance and social order stop working for the greater good. Dystopias expose the inherent flaws in systems, societies, and people.

Authors of dystopian literature can use these settings to warn readers (and society at large) about the potential outcomes of current methods of governance or ways of life. They can insert their own beliefs into the story as commentary on the possible consequences of a present aspect of modern life or human behavior.

Dystopias in Popular Culture

Dystopias provide fertile ground for writers to create compelling and enduring stories, both in literature and in movies and television.

The 1927 German expressionist classic  Metropolis  takes place in what first appears to be a flashy urban eutopia. But, the privileged Freder discovers a bleak dystopia under the city, populated by the impoverished and marginalized, and he attempts to change things for the better.

The 1979 movie  Mad Max  and its sequels unfold in a dystopia with no law and order, where lone wolf Max Rockatansky sets out to stop a ruthless motorcycle gang and restore some semblance of justice.

The 2013 dystopian adventure  Snowpiercer , based on the graphic novel  Le Transperceneige  by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette, is set on a constantly running passenger train, which has become the home of the remaining world population after an environmental catastrophe. The members of the lower-class portion of the train stage a revolution against the upper-class members—specifically against Wilford, the mythic inventor and caretaker of the train’s perpetually running engine.

There are several television shows that involve dystopias.  Westworld  is set in a futuristic amusement park where visitors can experience their fantasies through artificial consciousness;  Black Mirror  is an anthology series often set in dystopian worlds; and  The Last Man on Earth  is a rare dystopian comedy about a man who is seemingly the only survivor after a deadly virus decimates the world population.

Writers Known for Dystopian Literature

• Margaret Atwood,  The Handmaid’s Tale ,  Oryx and Crake
• Ray Bradbury,  Fahrenheit 451
• Anthony Burgess,  A Clockwork Orange
• Octavia Butler,  Parable of the Sower
• Suzanne Collins,  The Hunger Games
• Aldous Huxley,  Brave New World
• Lois Lowry,  The Giver
• George Orwell, 1984 ,  Animal Farm
• Veronica Roth,  Divergent

Examples of Dystopias in Literature

1. Margaret Atwood,  The Handmaid’s Tale

Atwood’s 1985 novel takes place in a dystopian society called Gilead, a near-future version of the United States. In this world, a theocratic male government runs a ruthlessly totalitarian state that subjugates women into various classes and roles. One of those roles is handmaid, a woman who must bear children for the Gileadean elite. Offred is the handmaid at the center of the story, and she describes her life before and after the events that robbed women of their basic human rights and liberties.

2. Octavia Butler,  Parable of the Sower

Butler’s 1993 novel unfolds in 2020s-era America, where climate change, economic disparities, and corporate malfeasance leave society in shambles. Lauren Oya Olamina is a young woman with the unique ability to feel others’ pain and emotions, which inspires her to develop a new belief system called Earthseed. After the destruction of her Los Angeles home, Lauren and other survivors travel north across a violent landscape, eventually settling in Northern California and founding an Earthseed community.

3. Cormac McCarthy,  The Road

McCarthy’s 2006 novel follows the journey of a father and son as they traverse a violent and sparse America decimated by an unnamed catastrophe. They search for food and clean water, pushing their meager belongings in a shopping cart as they skirt ruthless bandits and meet fellow stricken survivors along the way. They eventually make it to the sea, with the father falling increasingly more ill and the boy facing the prospect of a life on his own.

Further Resources on Dystopias

The Artifice asks “ What Is the Purpose of Dystopian Literature? ”

Book Riot does a deep dive into the specifics of  speculative fiction .

A Study of Dystopia as a Literary Genre looks at the various  subgenres of dystopian fiction .

O  has a list of  20 Dystopian Novels Everyone Should Read .

Goodreads offers a comprehensive list of  popular dystopian novels .

Related Terms

• Didacticism
• Science Fiction

• Search Menu
• Browse content in Arts and Humanities
• Browse content in Archaeology
• Anglo-Saxon and Medieval Archaeology
• Archaeological Methodology and Techniques
• Archaeology by Region
• Archaeology of Religion
• Archaeology of Trade and Exchange
• Biblical Archaeology
• Contemporary and Public Archaeology
• Environmental Archaeology
• Historical Archaeology
• History and Theory of Archaeology
• Industrial Archaeology
• Landscape Archaeology
• Mortuary Archaeology
• Prehistoric Archaeology
• Underwater Archaeology
• Urban Archaeology
• Zooarchaeology
• Browse content in Architecture
• Architectural Structure and Design
• History of Architecture
• Residential and Domestic Buildings
• Theory of Architecture
• Browse content in Art
• Art Subjects and Themes
• History of Art
• Industrial and Commercial Art
• Theory of Art
• Biographical Studies
• Byzantine Studies
• Browse content in Classical Studies
• Classical History
• Classical Philosophy
• Classical Mythology
• Classical Literature
• Classical Reception
• Classical Art and Architecture
• Classical Oratory and Rhetoric
• Greek and Roman Papyrology
• Greek and Roman Epigraphy
• Greek and Roman Law
• Greek and Roman Archaeology
• Late Antiquity
• Religion in the Ancient World
• Digital Humanities
• Browse content in History
• Colonialism and Imperialism
• Diplomatic History
• Environmental History
• Genealogy, Heraldry, Names, and Honours
• Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing
• Historical Geography
• History by Period
• History of Emotions
• History of Agriculture
• History of Education
• History of Gender and Sexuality
• Industrial History
• Intellectual History
• International History
• Labour History
• Legal and Constitutional History
• Local and Family History
• Maritime History
• Military History
• National Liberation and Post-Colonialism
• Oral History
• Political History
• Public History
• Regional and National History
• Revolutions and Rebellions
• Slavery and Abolition of Slavery
• Social and Cultural History
• Theory, Methods, and Historiography
• Urban History
• World History
• Browse content in Language Teaching and Learning
• Language Learning (Specific Skills)
• Language Teaching Theory and Methods
• Browse content in Linguistics
• Applied Linguistics
• Cognitive Linguistics
• Computational Linguistics
• Forensic Linguistics
• Grammar, Syntax and Morphology
• Historical and Diachronic Linguistics
• History of English
• Language Evolution
• Language Reference
• Language Acquisition
• Language Variation
• Language Families
• Lexicography
• Linguistic Anthropology
• Linguistic Theories
• Linguistic Typology
• Phonetics and Phonology
• Psycholinguistics
• Sociolinguistics
• Translation and Interpretation
• Writing Systems
• Browse content in Literature
• Bibliography
• Children's Literature Studies
• Literary Studies (Romanticism)
• Literary Studies (American)
• Literary Studies (Asian)
• Literary Studies (European)
• Literary Studies (Eco-criticism)
• Literary Studies (Modernism)
• Literary Studies - World
• Literary Studies (1500 to 1800)
• Literary Studies (19th Century)
• Literary Studies (20th Century onwards)
• Literary Studies (African American Literature)
• Literary Studies (British and Irish)
• Literary Studies (Early and Medieval)
• Literary Studies (Fiction, Novelists, and Prose Writers)
• Literary Studies (Gender Studies)
• Literary Studies (Graphic Novels)
• Literary Studies (History of the Book)
• Literary Studies (Plays and Playwrights)
• Literary Studies (Poetry and Poets)
• Literary Studies (Postcolonial Literature)
• Literary Studies (Queer Studies)
• Literary Studies (Science Fiction)
• Literary Studies (Travel Literature)
• Literary Studies (War Literature)
• Literary Studies (Women's Writing)
• Literary Theory and Cultural Studies
• Mythology and Folklore
• Shakespeare Studies and Criticism
• Browse content in Media Studies
• Browse content in Music
• Applied Music
• Dance and Music
• Ethics in Music
• Ethnomusicology
• Gender and Sexuality in Music
• Medicine and Music
• Music Cultures
• Music and Media
• Music and Religion
• Music and Culture
• Music Education and Pedagogy
• Music Theory and Analysis
• Musical Scores, Lyrics, and Libretti
• Musical Structures, Styles, and Techniques
• Musicology and Music History
• Performance Practice and Studies
• Race and Ethnicity in Music
• Sound Studies
• Browse content in Performing Arts
• Browse content in Philosophy
• Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art
• Epistemology
• Feminist Philosophy
• History of Western Philosophy
• Metaphysics
• Moral Philosophy
• Non-Western Philosophy
• Philosophy of Language
• Philosophy of Mind
• Philosophy of Perception
• Philosophy of Science
• Philosophy of Action
• Philosophy of Law
• Philosophy of Religion
• Philosophy of Mathematics and Logic
• Practical Ethics
• Social and Political Philosophy
• Browse content in Religion
• Biblical Studies
• Christianity
• East Asian Religions
• History of Religion
• Judaism and Jewish Studies
• Qumran Studies
• Religion and Education
• Religion and Health
• Religion and Politics
• Religion and Science
• Religion and Law
• Religion and Art, Literature, and Music
• Religious Studies
• Browse content in Society and Culture
• Cookery, Food, and Drink
• Cultural Studies
• Customs and Traditions
• Ethical Issues and Debates
• Hobbies, Games, Arts and Crafts
• Lifestyle, Home, and Garden
• Natural world, Country Life, and Pets
• Popular Beliefs and Controversial Knowledge
• Sports and Outdoor Recreation
• Technology and Society
• Travel and Holiday
• Visual Culture
• Browse content in Law
• Arbitration
• Browse content in Company and Commercial Law
• Commercial Law
• Company Law
• Browse content in Comparative Law
• Systems of Law
• Competition Law
• Browse content in Constitutional and Administrative Law
• Government Powers
• Judicial Review
• Local Government Law
• Military and Defence Law
• Parliamentary and Legislative Practice
• Construction Law
• Contract Law
• Browse content in Criminal Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Criminal Evidence Law
• Sentencing and Punishment
• Employment and Labour Law
• Environment and Energy Law
• Browse content in Financial Law
• Banking Law
• Insolvency Law
• History of Law
• Human Rights and Immigration
• Intellectual Property Law
• Browse content in International Law
• Private International Law and Conflict of Laws
• Public International Law
• IT and Communications Law
• Jurisprudence and Philosophy of Law
• Law and Politics
• Law and Society
• Browse content in Legal System and Practice
• Courts and Procedure
• Legal Skills and Practice
• Primary Sources of Law
• Regulation of Legal Profession
• Medical and Healthcare Law
• Browse content in Policing
• Criminal Investigation and Detection
• Police and Security Services
• Police Procedure and Law
• Police Regional Planning
• Browse content in Property Law
• Personal Property Law
• Study and Revision
• Terrorism and National Security Law
• Browse content in Trusts Law
• Wills and Probate or Succession
• Browse content in Medicine and Health
• Browse content in Allied Health Professions
• Arts Therapies
• Clinical Science
• Dietetics and Nutrition
• Occupational Therapy
• Operating Department Practice
• Physiotherapy
• Radiography
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Browse content in Anaesthetics
• General Anaesthesia
• Neuroanaesthesia
• Clinical Neuroscience
• Browse content in Clinical Medicine
• Acute Medicine
• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Clinical Genetics
• Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics
• Dermatology
• Endocrinology and Diabetes
• Gastroenterology
• Genito-urinary Medicine
• Geriatric Medicine
• Infectious Diseases
• Medical Toxicology
• Medical Oncology
• Pain Medicine
• Palliative Medicine
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Respiratory Medicine and Pulmonology
• Rheumatology
• Sleep Medicine
• Sports and Exercise Medicine
• Community Medical Services
• Critical Care
• Emergency Medicine
• Forensic Medicine
• Haematology
• History of Medicine
• Browse content in Medical Skills
• Clinical Skills
• Communication Skills
• Nursing Skills
• Surgical Skills
• Browse content in Medical Dentistry
• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Paediatric Dentistry
• Restorative Dentistry and Orthodontics
• Surgical Dentistry
• Medical Ethics
• Medical Statistics and Methodology
• Browse content in Neurology
• Clinical Neurophysiology
• Neuropathology
• Nursing Studies
• Browse content in Obstetrics and Gynaecology
• Gynaecology
• Occupational Medicine
• Ophthalmology
• Otolaryngology (ENT)
• Browse content in Paediatrics
• Neonatology
• Browse content in Pathology
• Chemical Pathology
• Clinical Cytogenetics and Molecular Genetics
• Histopathology
• Medical Microbiology and Virology
• Patient Education and Information
• Browse content in Pharmacology
• Psychopharmacology
• Browse content in Popular Health
• Caring for Others
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine
• Self-help and Personal Development
• Browse content in Preclinical Medicine
• Cell Biology
• Molecular Biology and Genetics
• Reproduction, Growth and Development
• Primary Care
• Professional Development in Medicine
• Browse content in Psychiatry
• Addiction Medicine
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Forensic Psychiatry
• Learning Disabilities
• Old Age Psychiatry
• Psychotherapy
• Browse content in Public Health and Epidemiology
• Epidemiology
• Public Health
• Browse content in Radiology
• Clinical Radiology
• Interventional Radiology
• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiation Oncology
• Reproductive Medicine
• Browse content in Surgery
• Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Gastro-intestinal and Colorectal Surgery
• General Surgery
• Neurosurgery
• Paediatric Surgery
• Peri-operative Care
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• Surgical Oncology
• Transplant Surgery
• Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery
• Vascular Surgery
• Browse content in Science and Mathematics
• Browse content in Biological Sciences
• Aquatic Biology
• Biochemistry
• Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
• Developmental Biology
• Ecology and Conservation
• Evolutionary Biology
• Genetics and Genomics
• Microbiology
• Molecular and Cell Biology
• Natural History
• Plant Sciences and Forestry
• Research Methods in Life Sciences
• Structural Biology
• Systems Biology
• Zoology and Animal Sciences
• Browse content in Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry
• Computational Chemistry
• Crystallography
• Environmental Chemistry
• Industrial Chemistry
• Inorganic Chemistry
• Materials Chemistry
• Medicinal Chemistry
• Mineralogy and Gems
• Organic Chemistry
• Physical Chemistry
• Polymer Chemistry
• Study and Communication Skills in Chemistry
• Theoretical Chemistry
• Browse content in Computer Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Architecture and Logic Design
• Game Studies
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Mathematical Theory of Computation
• Programming Languages
• Software Engineering
• Systems Analysis and Design
• Virtual Reality
• Browse content in Computing
• Business Applications
• Computer Security
• Computer Games
• Computer Networking and Communications
• Digital Lifestyle
• Graphical and Digital Media Applications
• Operating Systems
• Browse content in Earth Sciences and Geography
• Atmospheric Sciences
• Environmental Geography
• Geology and the Lithosphere
• Maps and Map-making
• Meteorology and Climatology
• Oceanography and Hydrology
• Palaeontology
• Physical Geography and Topography
• Regional Geography
• Soil Science
• Urban Geography
• Browse content in Engineering and Technology
• Agriculture and Farming
• Biological Engineering
• Civil Engineering, Surveying, and Building
• Electronics and Communications Engineering
• Energy Technology
• Engineering (General)
• Environmental Science, Engineering, and Technology
• History of Engineering and Technology
• Mechanical Engineering and Materials
• Technology of Industrial Chemistry
• Transport Technology and Trades
• Browse content in Environmental Science
• Applied Ecology (Environmental Science)
• Conservation of the Environment (Environmental Science)
• Environmental Sustainability
• Environmentalist Thought and Ideology (Environmental Science)
• Management of Land and Natural Resources (Environmental Science)
• Natural Disasters (Environmental Science)
• Nuclear Issues (Environmental Science)
• Pollution and Threats to the Environment (Environmental Science)
• Social Impact of Environmental Issues (Environmental Science)
• History of Science and Technology
• Browse content in Materials Science
• Ceramics and Glasses
• Composite Materials
• Metals, Alloying, and Corrosion
• Nanotechnology
• Browse content in Mathematics
• Applied Mathematics
• Biomathematics and Statistics
• History of Mathematics
• Mathematical Education
• Mathematical Finance
• Mathematical Analysis
• Numerical and Computational Mathematics
• Probability and Statistics
• Pure Mathematics
• Browse content in Neuroscience
• Cognition and Behavioural Neuroscience
• Development of the Nervous System
• Disorders of the Nervous System
• History of Neuroscience
• Invertebrate Neurobiology
• Molecular and Cellular Systems
• Neuroendocrinology and Autonomic Nervous System
• Neuroscientific Techniques
• Sensory and Motor Systems
• Browse content in Physics
• Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
• Biological and Medical Physics
• Classical Mechanics
• Computational Physics
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Electromagnetism, Optics, and Acoustics
• History of Physics
• Mathematical and Statistical Physics
• Measurement Science
• Nuclear Physics
• Particles and Fields
• Plasma Physics
• Quantum Physics
• Relativity and Gravitation
• Semiconductor and Mesoscopic Physics
• Browse content in Psychology
• Affective Sciences
• Clinical Psychology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Criminal and Forensic Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Evolutionary Psychology
• Health Psychology
• History and Systems in Psychology
• Music Psychology
• Neuropsychology
• Organizational Psychology
• Psychological Assessment and Testing
• Psychology of Human-Technology Interaction
• Psychology Professional Development and Training
• Research Methods in Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Browse content in Social Sciences
• Browse content in Anthropology
• Anthropology of Religion
• Human Evolution
• Medical Anthropology
• Physical Anthropology
• Regional Anthropology
• Social and Cultural Anthropology
• Theory and Practice of Anthropology
• Browse content in Business and Management
• Business Ethics
• Business Strategy
• Business History
• Business and Technology
• Business and Government
• Business and the Environment
• Comparative Management
• Corporate Governance
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Entrepreneurship
• Health Management
• Human Resource Management
• Industrial and Employment Relations
• Industry Studies
• Information and Communication Technologies
• International Business
• Knowledge Management
• Management and Management Techniques
• Operations Management
• Organizational Theory and Behaviour
• Pensions and Pension Management
• Public and Nonprofit Management
• Strategic Management
• Supply Chain Management
• Browse content in Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Criminal Justice
• Criminology
• Forms of Crime
• International and Comparative Criminology
• Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice
• Development Studies
• Browse content in Economics
• Agricultural, Environmental, and Natural Resource Economics
• Asian Economics
• Behavioural Finance
• Behavioural Economics and Neuroeconomics
• Econometrics and Mathematical Economics
• Economic History
• Economic Systems
• Economic Methodology
• Economic Development and Growth
• Financial Markets
• Financial Institutions and Services
• General Economics and Teaching
• Health, Education, and Welfare
• History of Economic Thought
• International Economics
• Labour and Demographic Economics
• Law and Economics
• Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics
• Microeconomics
• Public Economics
• Urban, Rural, and Regional Economics
• Welfare Economics
• Browse content in Education
• Adult Education and Continuous Learning
• Care and Counselling of Students
• Early Childhood and Elementary Education
• Educational Equipment and Technology
• Educational Strategies and Policy
• Higher and Further Education
• Organization and Management of Education
• Philosophy and Theory of Education
• Schools Studies
• Secondary Education
• Teaching of a Specific Subject
• Teaching of Specific Groups and Special Educational Needs
• Teaching Skills and Techniques
• Browse content in Environment
• Applied Ecology (Social Science)
• Climate Change
• Conservation of the Environment (Social Science)
• Environmentalist Thought and Ideology (Social Science)
• Natural Disasters (Environment)
• Social Impact of Environmental Issues (Social Science)
• Browse content in Human Geography
• Cultural Geography
• Economic Geography
• Political Geography
• Browse content in Interdisciplinary Studies
• Communication Studies
• Museums, Libraries, and Information Sciences
• Browse content in Politics
• African Politics
• Asian Politics
• Chinese Politics
• Comparative Politics
• Conflict Politics
• Elections and Electoral Studies
• Environmental Politics
• European Union
• Foreign Policy
• Gender and Politics
• Human Rights and Politics
• Indian Politics
• International Relations
• International Organization (Politics)
• International Political Economy
• Irish Politics
• Latin American Politics
• Middle Eastern Politics
• Political Behaviour
• Political Economy
• Political Institutions
• Political Methodology
• Political Communication
• Political Philosophy
• Political Sociology
• Political Theory
• Politics and Law
• Public Policy
• Public Administration
• Quantitative Political Methodology
• Regional Political Studies
• Russian Politics
• Security Studies
• State and Local Government
• UK Politics
• US Politics
• Browse content in Regional and Area Studies
• African Studies
• Asian Studies
• East Asian Studies
• Japanese Studies
• Latin American Studies
• Middle Eastern Studies
• Native American Studies
• Scottish Studies
• Browse content in Research and Information
• Research Methods
• Browse content in Social Work
• Addictions and Substance Misuse
• Adoption and Fostering
• Care of the Elderly
• Child and Adolescent Social Work
• Couple and Family Social Work
• Developmental and Physical Disabilities Social Work
• Direct Practice and Clinical Social Work
• Emergency Services
• Human Behaviour and the Social Environment
• International and Global Issues in Social Work
• Mental and Behavioural Health
• Social Justice and Human Rights
• Social Policy and Advocacy
• Social Work and Crime and Justice
• Social Work Macro Practice
• Social Work Practice Settings
• Social Work Research and Evidence-based Practice
• Welfare and Benefit Systems
• Browse content in Sociology
• Childhood Studies
• Community Development
• Comparative and Historical Sociology
• Economic Sociology
• Gender and Sexuality
• Gerontology and Ageing
• Health, Illness, and Medicine
• Marriage and the Family
• Migration Studies
• Occupations, Professions, and Work
• Organizations
• Population and Demography
• Race and Ethnicity
• Social Theory
• Social Movements and Social Change
• Social Research and Statistics
• Social Stratification, Inequality, and Mobility
• Sociology of Religion
• Sociology of Education
• Sport and Leisure
• Urban and Rural Studies
• Browse content in Warfare and Defence
• Defence Strategy, Planning, and Research
• Land Forces and Warfare
• Military Administration
• Military Life and Institutions
• Naval Forces and Warfare
• Other Warfare and Defence Issues
• Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution
• Weapons and Equipment

• < Previous
• Next chapter >

5 Mechanism, Collectivism, and Humanity: The Origins of Dystopian Literature, 1810–1945

• Published: December 2016
• Cite Icon Cite
• Permissions Icon Permissions

This chapter commences with a survey of the scholarship on the literary dystopia, chiefly since World War II. It surveys the chief trends and definitions in this field, and problems of boundaries, for instance with science fiction. It then introduces about 150 texts, many not discussed elsewhere, to indicate the main trends in dystopian literature up to the mid-twentieth century. The first dystopias proper are dated from the French revolutionary period. The genre proper then commences in the 1870s and enjoys great successes through the early 1930s. The most important early controversy of this type concerned Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward (1888). But dystopian satires targeted eugenic ideals as well as possible negative outcomes of later nineteenth-century revolutionary movements. Zamyatin, Rand, Koestler, and Burdekin are amongst the key authors discussed here.

Signed in as

Institutional accounts.

• GoogleCrawler [DO NOT DELETE]
• Google Scholar Indexing

Personal account

• Sign in with email/username & password
• Get email alerts
• Save searches
• Purchase content
• Activate your purchase/trial code

Institutional access

• Sign in with a library card Sign in with username/password Recommend to your librarian
• Institutional account management
• Get help with access

Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:

IP based access

Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.

Sign in through your institution

Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.

• Click Sign in through your institution.
• Select your institution from the list provided, which will take you to your institution's website to sign in.
• When on the institution site, please use the credentials provided by your institution. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.
• Following successful sign in, you will be returned to Oxford Academic.

If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.

Sign in with a library card

Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.

Society Members

Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:

Sign in through society site

Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:

• Click Sign in through society site.
• When on the society site, please use the credentials provided by that society. Do not use an Oxford Academic personal account.

If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.

Sign in using a personal account

Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.

A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.

Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.

Viewing your signed in accounts

Click the account icon in the top right to:

• View your signed in personal account and access account management features.
• View the institutional accounts that are providing access.

Signed in but can't access content

Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.

For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.

Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.

• About Oxford Academic
• Publish journals with us
• University press partners
• What we publish
• New features  
• Open access
• Rights and permissions
• Accessibility
• Advertising
• Media enquiries
• Oxford University Press
• Oxford Languages
• University of Oxford

Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide

• Copyright © 2024 Oxford University Press
• Cookie settings
• Cookie policy
• Privacy policy
• Legal notice

This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

Synthesis Essays: A Step-by-Step How-To Guide

A synthesis essay is generally a short essay which brings two or more sources (or perspectives) into conversation with each other.

The word “synthesis” confuses every student a little bit. Fortunately, this step-by-step how-to guide will see you through to success!

Here’s a step-by-step how-to guide, with examples, that will help you write yours.

Before drafting your essay:

After reading the sources and before writing your essay, ask yourself these questions:

• What is the debate or issue that concerns all of the writers? In other words, what is the question they are trying to answer?
• On what points do they agree?
• On what points do they disagree?
• If they were having a verbal discussion, how would writer number one respond to the arguments of writer number two?

In a way, writing a synthesis essay is similar to composing a summary. But a synthesis essay requires you to read more than one source and to identify the way the writers’ ideas and points of view are related.

Sometimes several sources will reach the same conclusion even though each source approaches the subject from a different point of view.

Other times, sources will discuss the same aspects of the problem/issue/debate but will reach different conclusions.

And sometimes, sources will simply repeat ideas you have read in other sources; however, this is unlikely in a high school or AP situation.

To better organize your thoughts about what you’ve read, do this:

• Identify each writer’s thesis/claim/main idea
• List the writers supporting ideas (think topic sentences or substantiating ideas)
• List the types of support used by the writers that seem important. For example, if the writer uses a lot of statistics to support a claim, note this. If a writer uses historical facts, note this.

There’s one more thing to do before writing: You need to articulate for yourself the relationships and connections among these ideas.

Sometimes the relationships are easy to find. For example, after reading several articles about censorship in newspapers, you may notice that most of the writers refer to or in some way use the First Amendment to help support their arguments and help persuade readers. In this case, you would want to describe the different ways the writers use the First Amendment in their arguments. To do this, ask yourself, “How does this writer exploit the value of the First Amendment/use the First Amendment to help persuade or manipulate the readers into thinking that she is right?

Sometimes articulating the relationships between ideas is not as easy. If you have trouble articulating clear relationships among the shared ideas you have noted, ask yourself these questions:

• Do the ideas of one writer support the ideas of another? If so, how?
• Do the writers who reach the same conclusion use the same ideas in their writing? If not, is there a different persuasive value to the ideas used by one writer than by the other?
• Do the writers who disagree discuss similar points or did they approach the subject from a completely different angle and therefore use different points and different kinds of evidence to support their arguments?
• Review your list of ideas. Are any of the ideas you have listed actually the same idea, just written in different words?

• My presentations

Auth with social network:

Download presentation

We think you have liked this presentation. If you wish to download it, please recommend it to your friends in any social system. Share buttons are a little bit lower. Thank you!

Presentation is loading. Please wait.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Dystopian Synthesis Essay

Published by Abigale Swanick Modified over 9 years ago

Similar presentations

Presentation on theme: "Dystopian Synthesis Essay"— Presentation transcript:

Journal 9/20/11 Get new Table of Contents on back table & write todays Table of Contents. Write Homework. Journal: (at least 6 lines for journal checks)

Persuasive Writing.

We will be starting To Kill a Mockingbird next week

How to format an essay.

5-Paragraph Formal Review Essay

Essay Writing: Hamburger Helper Style

Writing... What the What?.

Character Traits A Literary Analysis.

Expository Writing.

Theme Unit 1: Short Story Essay. Thesis Statement O A thesis statement is the sentence of your essay that encapsulates the topic you are writing about.

Introduction & Conclusion Paragraphs

Descriptive Writing.

The “How and Why” of Writing

The Essay and the Writing Process

So you want to learn how to write an organized essay… …that is right on target????

The Five-Paragraph Essay (For Persuasive and Expository Writing)

"You can't blend in when you were

PERSUASIVE WRITING English 7CP Mr. Snow. WHAT IS PERSUASIVE WRITING?  All writing has a purpose. So far, you have written to entertain (autobiographical.

ESSAY WRITING Character Analysis. Choosing a topic Choose one of the main characters in your Independent novel  protagonist or antagonist Consider that.

TODAY WE ARE GOING TO LEARN... HOW TO WRITE AN EXPOSITORY ESSAY !!!!!!

About project

© 2024 SlidePlayer.com Inc. All rights reserved.

• Arts & Humanities
• English Literature

Synthesis Essay

Related documents

Add this document to collection(s)

You can add this document to your study collection(s)

Add this document to saved

You can add this document to your saved list

Suggest us how to improve StudyLib

(For complaints, use another form )

Input it if you want to receive answer

• Entertainment
• Environment
• Information Science and Technology
• Social Issues

Home Essay Samples Literature

Essay Samples on Dystopia

Feminism and totalitarism in 'the handmaid's tale' dystopia novel.

Dystopia is the opposite of the ideal society, which is a utopia, that often appears in literature and artistic creation. Dystopias are typically post-apocalyptic or totalitaristic, but there are other forms of dystopias as well such as feminist, cyberpunk, off-world, etc. With 'The Handmaid's Tale'...

• Literary Criticism
• The Handmaid's Tale

Futuristic World in Dystopia: the Illusion of a Happy Society

A utopia is an imaginary society where all citizens are treated equally and with dignity, and citizens live in safety without fear. Since utopias do not exist, attempting to create one can have detrimental consequences. The utopia can become a dystopia. A dystopia is a...

• Literary Genres
• Literature Review

Technology Myth In "The Circle" By Dave Eggers

The Circle: The Technology Myth The novel begins on a glistening, sunlit day in June, Mae Holland cruises campus on her first-ever day at the Circle (Eggers, 1). The company is a creative and strongly favorite web organization, which has seized the globe by a...

• Impact of Technology

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale as Dystopian Fiction

Published in 1985, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale emerged during an auspicious time for dystopian fiction, following works such as Adoux Huxley’s Brave New World, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange. These dystopian narratives provided readers with captivating examinations into bleak,...

Presentation Of Authoritarian Control In George Orwell's 1984 And Brave New World

In the two novels ’Brave New World’ by Aldous Huxley and ‘1984’ by George Orwell, authoritarian control is a recurring theme throughout both plots. The two authors, who were influenced by their experiences of war on a large scale during the twentieth century were saddened...

• Brave New World

Stressed out with your paper?

Consider using writing assistance:

• 100% unique papers
• 3 hrs deadline option

Survival Is Insufficient In Novel Of Station Eleven

Societies can interconnect human life but can also isolate people from each other with the technology within. Station Eleven is a novel about a society devolving into a Dystopia, but it also explores what a society is. Mandel explores society through different perspectives by describing...

• Station Eleven

The Lifetime Memories Of The Past And Present In Station Eleven And Monkey Beach

Individuals experience many things over their lifetime that make them who they are. Joyful, stressful, exciting and traumatic experiences are often things every individual goes through; the one thing that connects all of them is memory. Memory allows one to reflect on experiences that are...

The Theme Of Gratitude As A Beacon Of Hope As Seen In Station Eleven

Station 11, by Emily Mandel, revolves around the topic of gratitude and reveals that people, when they lose certain privileges, realize the gravity of the things that they actually have. In the book, before the pandemic, society is presented as unremarkable. In the golden age...

The Comparison Of Dystopian Worlds In 1984 And Brave New World

Huxley's Brave New World and Orwell's 1984 are both Dystopian novels written ahead of their time that, in their own way, frighteningly predicted the western world of today. 21st Century western society has turned out to be a combination of both Huxley and Orwell’s visions...

The Expression Of Memories Through Art In Station Eleven

Magazines in houses that were deserted in order to try to recollect the world she was once living in and keen memories about the people she once knew and cared for. Lost memories sometimes are results of post-traumatic experiences and in Kirsten case it was...

Comparative Analysis Of Station Eleven And War For The Planet Of The Apes

The history of humanity has been riddled with new diseases and mass pandemics that have threatened the collapse of society. In today’s media, artists like to imagine a world where this disastrous event does happen, when medicine fails and the world is thrust into a...

Hope and Faith as the Tools for Survival in "Station Eleven"

The doomsday book Station Eleven by Emily Mandel has the theme of faith and fate, demonstrates how in events of struggle and fear, such as an epidemic, people turn to faith for help. The author represents faith as something that has similar importance in the...

Dystopian Society In Never Let Me Go

Never Let Me Go, written by Kazuo Ishiguro in 2005, is about the perspective of a female named Kathy who grows up knowing how she will die and her friends. They attend a boarding school called Hailsham that raises them from birth and is informed...

• Never Let Me Go

Feminism in Dystopian Novels: Parable of the Sower, Woman on the Edge of Time, and Binti

Feminism has been changing the way people think about gender since the 1960’s, and this change can be seen in the writers of different novels. Feminism and gender roles are portrayed in the characters in Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy, Parable...

• Parable of The Sower

Trepidant of Dystopian Societies: Brave New World and V for Vendetta

Throughout the novel, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and the movie V for Vendetta, directed by James McTeigue, the author and director both reveal and display significant messages about how dystopian societies function and maneuver of how dictatorial governments rule the civilization. Through the...

• V For Vendetta

Thebes’ Dystopian Aspects in Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

While the definition of dystopia is being debated by scholars to this day, Gregory Claeys provides a broad definition as to what the concept of dystopia is: something that showcases the “negative visions of humanity generally” (Vieira 3), is opposite to what is regarded as...

• Oedipus The King

Critical Appreciation of Dystopian Themes in The Children of Men

The ‘Children of Men’ presents the various dystopian tropes through the use of the linguistic techniques in order to question society’s troubles and create a parable to our own reality. PD James introduces the dystopian trope of the uncanny through this setting. By using similar...

• Children of Men

The Dichotomy of Dystopian and Utopian Societies in "The Giver"

Lois Lowry's novel "The Giver" explores the concept of a society that strives for perfection, leading to both a utopian and dystopian reality. In the novel, the protagonist, Jonas, lives in a seemingly perfect world, where everyone is content and there is no suffering or...

Analysis of The Truman Show Through the Ideas of Utopian and Dystopian Society

What if the reality you are used to see is not the real one? How would you feel if you discovered that during your whole live you have been controlled and used as entertainment? The aim of this essay is to compare the film The...

• The Truman Show

Station Eleven: Exposing the Fragility of Society Through Fictional Characters

Station Eleven is a novel about a society devolving into a Dystopia, but it also explores what a society is. Mandel explores society through different perspectives by describing events prior to its downfall. For example, Arthur and Miranda’s migration from a small island into a...

The Terryfing Ideas of Change in V for Vendetta

Politician Jerry Brown once said, “Where there is a sufficient social movement of self-reliant communities, there can be political change. There must be political change.” V for Vendetta (2006) originated from a graphic novel written by Allan Moore and is set in a dystopian Great-Britain...

Blade Runner as one of Cinematic Masterpieces

‘Blade Runner’ film by Ridley Scott is an adaptation of the book ‘Do Andriod’s Dream of Electric Sheep’ by Philip K. Dick. The story follows the main protagonist Rick Deckard, a retired police officer who retired NEXUS 6 replicants, living in a dystopian LA, 2019....

• Blade Runner

Impact of Dystopian Regime on Individuality in Huger Games and Divergent

Introduction The 2012 film “The Hunger Games’ by Gary Ross and the 2014 film “Divergent” by Neil Burger use a range of similar and different techniques to explore the themes of oppression, empowerment and rebellion and its impact on individuality. Ross and Burger’s sci-fi thrillers...

The Control of Life by the Government in the Dystopian World of "Divergent"

In the novel Divergent, it tells about a dystopian society and how they separate each other into five factions, the factionless, and a wall. These five factions all have a different role and a different way of life. Dauntless are the brave and fearless, Abnegation...

• Social Control

The Constraints of Realism as a Democratic Art

Introduction Realism, as an artistic movement, emerged as a response to the idealism and romanticism of earlier periods. It aimed to depict the world in an objective and unembellished manner, presenting an authentic representation of reality. However, despite its intentions, realism faces certain constraints as...

Depiction of Dystopian Worlds in The Handmaid's Tale and 1984

Dystopian literature questions the power of language, both Atwood’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ and Orwell’s ‘Nineteen Eighty - four’ showcases a variety of qualities necessary to advocate one’s freedom. Whilst both novelists share the common theme of language limiting both freedom and knowledge the two texts...

The Impact of Cinematography on Portrayal of Dystopia in Film

It is in the creation of dystopian film that universal issues of a political, social and cultural concern are made more widely relevant and accessible to a contemporary audience. The value of such dystopic representations of society derives from the filmmaker’s ability to timelessly comment...

• Film Analysis

A Comprehensive Analysis of Dystopian Genre in Literature

Dystopian genre blossomed in literature during the nineteenth century and developed significantly as a critical response and an antithesis to utopian fiction and shows utopia gone awry. The word ‘dystopia’ can be translated from Greek as ‘bad place’ and usually it depicts something a society...

Feminist Dystopia in Margaret Atwood “The Handmaid's Tale”

Feminism is a political and social movement; it shares a recurrent goal which is to achieve political, economic, personal, and social equality of sexes (IWDA). A dystopia is a society that is crumbling, decaying or in a tyrannized and terrorized state. They divulge the public’s...

The Handmaid's Tale and Animal Farm: Defamiliarizing Reproduction and Totalitarian Regimes

In his book, Dystopian Literature: A Theory and Research Guide, Professor M. Keith Booker argues that the principle literary strategy that dystopian literature utilizes is defamiliarization. He states that 'by focusing their critiques of society on imaginatively distant settings, dystopian fictions provide fresh perspectives on...

• Animal Farm

A Comparison of the Current World to Huxley's Brave New World

Is the Modern World in Danger of Becoming the Brave New World? In his 1932 dystopian novel, Brave New World, Aldous Huxley describes a future “World State” government that models its civilization on the principles of community, identity, and stability. The inhabitants of this world...

• Bioengineering

We By Yevgeny Zamyatin: The Terrible Consequences Of The Abandonment

In this 20st century novel it can be inferred that the story is an allegory on the early Soviet Union. The story is taking place in the future and is a dystopia. Totalitarianism and conformity are characteristics of the Soviet Union society of that time....

• Book Review

Sacred Games And Black Mirror: Crafted Dark Stories Opening Doors To Reality

The age of cliffhangers rewrites the style of stories being told “Kabhi kabhi lagta hai apun hi Bhagwan hai!” If this line rings a bell in your head, then you too, are probably among the majority whose minds that got influenced by Sacred Games. The...

Best topics on Dystopia

1. Feminism and Totalitarism in ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Dystopia Novel

2. Futuristic World in Dystopia: the Illusion of a Happy Society

3. Technology Myth In “The Circle” By Dave Eggers

4. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale as Dystopian Fiction

5. Presentation Of Authoritarian Control In George Orwell’s 1984 And Brave New World

6. Survival Is Insufficient In Novel Of Station Eleven

7. The Lifetime Memories Of The Past And Present In Station Eleven And Monkey Beach

8. The Theme Of Gratitude As A Beacon Of Hope As Seen In Station Eleven

9. The Comparison Of Dystopian Worlds In 1984 And Brave New World

10. The Expression Of Memories Through Art In Station Eleven

11. Comparative Analysis Of Station Eleven And War For The Planet Of The Apes

12. Hope and Faith as the Tools for Survival in “Station Eleven”

13. Dystopian Society In Never Let Me Go

14. Feminism in Dystopian Novels: Parable of the Sower, Woman on the Edge of Time, and Binti

15. Trepidant of Dystopian Societies: Brave New World and V for Vendetta

• William Shakespeare
• A Raisin in The Sun
• Hidden Intellectualism
• Sonny's Blues
• American Poetry
• Banned Books
• A Christmas Carol
• A Valediction Forbidding Mourning
• Alice Walker

Need writing help?

You can always rely on us no matter what type of paper you need

*No hidden charges

100% Unique Essays

Absolutely Confidential

Money Back Guarantee

By clicking “Send Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails

You can also get a UNIQUE essay on this or any other topic

Thank you! We’ll contact you as soon as possible.

Advertisement

Supported by

What’s on TV This Week: ‘Blade’ and the CMT Music Awards

Syfy airs the 1998 vampire movie. The CMT Music Awards are live in Austin, Texas.

• Share full article

By Geordon Wollner

For those like myself who still haven’t cut the cord, here is a selection of cable and network TV shows, movies and specials that broadcast this week, April 1-7. Details and times are subject to change.

AMERICAN IDOL 8 p.m. on ABC. At this point in the season, most contestants are headed home. But for a lucky handful, the journey continues. This week, the famed singing competition show will reach its final showcase round, where the remaining hopeful vocalists have one last chance to impress the judges Katy Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie and earn a spot in the Top 24.

SENSE AND SENSIBILITY (1995) 8 p.m. on TCM . Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant are just a few noteworthy names to star in Ang Lee’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s first novel. “Mr. Lee is after something more broadly accessible, a sparkling, colorful and utterly contemporary comedy of manners,” Janet Maslin wrote in her review for The New York Times . “He achieves this so pleasantly that ‘Sense and Sensibility’ matches the Austen-based ‘ Clueless ’ for sheer fun. Not bad, considering that these characters respond to any awkward social circumstance by talking about the weather.”

PAWN STARS DO AMERICA 8 p.m. on History. Step out from behind the glass and join Rick Harrison, Corey Harrison and Austin Russell (known as Chumlee), the proprietors of Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas, as they pound the pavement in search of unique items with supreme historical — and monetary — value. The family-owned and -operated shop was made famous when “Pawn Stars” first premiered on History in 2009 and fans have been lining up in front of the store to take a peek inside ever since. From the Vegas Strip to all corners of the United States, their search for collectibles continues. While you may not always see them strike a deal, you’re always guaranteed a chuckle and a reminder that all that glitters is not gold.

TWISTER (1996) 8 p.m. on AMC. “Dorothy and Toto Had It Easier,” reads the headline of the review of “Twister” for The Times . Shall we compare the tornado that gingerly transports Dorothy — and her little dog, too — from Kansas into the land of Oz to the Oklahoman superstorms in this film that explode diesel trucks, turn barns into toothpicks and level entire towns within seconds? While there’s no shortage of courage or brains in Dr. Jo Harding (Helen Hunt) and Bill Harding (Bill Paxton), two spirited storm chasers, heart is the element in question here, with a divorce looming much like the darkening clouds in the distance. Keep a weather eye on the horizon as they navigate their failing romance and battle against the forces of nature.

BLADE (1998) 7:58 p.m. on Syfy. If you dare to tune in to this movie, expect to fall teeth first into the underbelly of a gritty, desaturated dystopian mid-’90s metropolis, where every scene is muted in cyan, and red is the only color shown in its richest, purest form. Blade (Wesley Snipes) — adapted from the original Marvel comic character — is half-human and half-vampire. Caught between worlds, this leather-clad, heavily armored and fully loaded slayer hunts, sets fire to and evaporates every fanged creature in his way to keep evil forces at bay. As war rages between humans and vampires — and a power struggle unfolds among the nightwalker ranks — house music pumps just as hard as the blood. Be prepared: Heads will roll, stakes will fly and the essence of garlic will fill the air.

KILL BILL: VOL. 1 (2003) 5:30 p.m. on BBC America. A former assassin (Uma Thurman) is shot down — to the tune of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down),” sung by Nancy Sinatra — on her wedding day and spends the next four years in a coma. When she finally awakens, vengeance on the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, the team of assassins that betrayed her, is all she seeks. If you’re looking to cross something else off your list, continue the evening with KILL BILL: VOL. 2 (2004), which follows at 8 p.m. on BBC America.

WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN 8 p.m. on Fox. Tables are broken, rivalries unfold in real-time and (metaphorical) lines are drawn. Superstars like Bianca Belair, Solo Sikoa, Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns will fill the arena as the crowd roars with each punch thrown. You may even imagine the sweet, sweet fragrance of spandex, sweat and popcorn wafting in the air. Tune in for the ultimate professional wrestling experience that “is one part gladiator arena and one part soap opera mixed with broad comedy and pyrotechnics,” writes Joshua Needelman for The Times .

THE MUMMY (1999) 8 p.m. on AMC . When a mummy rises from its tomb fueled by an ancient curse meant to bind the creature to the ground it was buried in and wreak havoc on those who unleash the evil within, a renegade devil-may-care explorer, Rick O’Connell (Brendan Fraser), must take matters into his own hands and battle the living dead. If the curse hasn’t lifted, continue the evening with THE MUMMY RETURNS (2001), which follows at 10:45 p.m. on AMC.

2024 CMT MUSIC AWARDS 8 p.m. on CBS. Shine up your boots and get that dust off your hat: Kelsea Ballerini returns to host the CMT Music Awards, which air live from Austin, Texas. Ballerini, Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and Zach Bryan have all been nominated for multiple awards; performances by Brittney Spencer, Little Big Town, Sam Hunt and Sugarland, to name a few, are expected to be the highlight of the night.

13 GOING ON 30 (2004) 7 p.m. on CW. Do you ever wonder what would happen if you got everything you ever wished for? Would it be enough? A 13-year-old finds herself questioning all she’s got when a birthday wish to be “30, flirty and thriving” comes true. Suddenly grown-up and a big-time magazine editor with no recollection of anything after her 13th birthday party, Jenna Rink (Jennifer Garner) is left to fill in the gaps.

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

“X-Men ’97,” a revival on Disney+ that picks up where the ’90s animated series left off, has faced questions after the firing of its showrunner  ahead of the premiere.

“3 Body Problem,” a science fiction epic from the creators of “Game of Thrones,” has arrived on Netflix. We spoke with them about their latest project .

For the past two decades, female presidential candidates on TV have been made in Hillary Clinton’s image. With “The Girls on the Bus,” that’s beginning to change .

“Freaknik,” a new Hulu documentary, delves into the rowdy ’80s and ’90s-era spring festival  that drew hundreds of thousands of Black college students to Atlanta.

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.