Dystopian is the opposite of Utopian. A utopia is the ideal society, perfect in every way. Dystopian fiction is set in a world where society has failed or fallen apart in some way. It takes the reader forward after an apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic event when society has been rebuilt.
Many novels combine both the utopian and dystopian society structures to represent choices and different outcomes. These types of societies are found often in science fiction and speculative fiction.
SOURCE: Malatesta, Mark (2018), The Book Genre Dictionary,
How to recognize a dystopia - Alex Gendler [Duration: 5:56]
The genre of dystopia – the ‘not good place’– has captured the imaginations of artists and audiences alike for centuries. But why do we bother with all this pessimism? Alex Gendler explains how dystopias act as cautionary tales – not about some particular government or technology, but the very idea that humanity can be molded into an ideal shape.