There's a whole genre of speculative fiction devoted to showing us fictional worlds we'd rather not visit. Huxley's Brave New World, for a start. What's become of England in Orwell's 1984. What's become of the United States in Elgin's Native Tongue. The Republic of Gilead in The Handmaid's Tale. New New York in Oryx and Crake. There are so many fictional dystopias that it's hard to remember which one was which.
Even worse than the dystopias, though, might be what some authors present as the real world in which we live--as they know it. Thomas Wolfe's early twentieth century was a darksome land of wolf-cliffs wild and windy wilderness, for the soul. Ernest Hemingway's world was unbearable for him, and Sylvia Plath's world was for her, and I've never thought either writer's corner of the early twentieth century was much fun to read about either.
Worst of all may be the transhumanists' fantasies that are often published as nonfiction, because the people who imagine worlds in which people are "enhanced" with animal or mechanical parts, cloned, and generally tinkered with by fellow humans who think they're smarter than God, actually believe in their crazy fantasy. Heaven spare us all.
(ETA: This was a Long & Short Reviews prompt. See what other reviewers picked--almost all different books!--at https://www.longandshortreviews.com/miscellaneous-musings/wednesday-weekly-blogging-challenge-for-February-19-2025/ .)
England in "1984" doesn't sound like a place I would like to be, Priscilla. Dystopian worlds in general, like you said, are tough places. People with animal or mechanical parts doesn't sound too appealing either. Thanks for sharing and for visiting my blog.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for visiting mine, Cheryl.
DeletePK
The Handmaid's Tale... ooh that's a scary thought.
ReplyDeleteWhy people who care about people should always pay cash!
DeletePK
Yeah, life was hard in a lot of classic novels. I wouldn’t want to live back then either.
ReplyDeleteLydia