Abstract:
The first half of the 20th century marks a critical transition from the Victorian to the modern era
paving the way to dilemmas of the postmodern age. This period saw the colonies and feudal
systems breaking up, and technological innovations leading to rapid growth in industrial
activities and urban settlements. Consumer culture, complex state systems, fascism, communism
and totalitarianism as well as anti-intellectualism, surveillance, and media influence were on the
rise. Most of all two great world wars brought about a spiritual crisis for many. All these issues
led to dystopian writings which formed a striking literary movement. This movement attempted
to criticize the contemporary events and forecast its grim future consequences. This thesis looks
at three dystopian novels: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1931), 1984 by George Orwell
(1949) and Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954). It will analyze these texts using
Marxist, Althusserian and Freudian theories, and will argue that these dystopias need to be
considered to understand the history of the early 20th century as well as the socio-political
dynamics of the present day world.
