Elements of a Dystopian Novel Summary

Check your summary for the following elements.

GIST:

Who:  Protagonist; Antagonist 
(realizing that the antagonists might be one of the controls_
What:  What control and what is the cause of the control 
(think seeking utopia) and what does the the protagonist 
do to deal with the control and his/her decisions
When: When is this story happening 
near future, present, distant future,
Where:  Town, city, earth, world, mars, unspecified community
Why:  Why is this story being written, 
what's the message, why do major event move the story forward
How: Does the character work through the conflicts and 
how does that make him/her a dystopian character

What is the Utopian ideal?  
Individuality, Freedom, Safety, Equality

Reminders:

Dystopian Protagonist Characteristics • often feels trapped and is struggling to escape.  • questions the existing social and political systems.  • believes or feels that something is terribly wrong with the society in which he or she lives.  • helps the audience recognizes the negative aspects of the dystopian world through his or her perspective.

Dystopian Controls Corporate Bureaucratic Technological Philosophical (religion or belief system)

Questions you might consider when you write your OPINION.

Why did you choose the book?
What did you like about the book? (Characters, plot, etc)
What did you dislike about the book?
Would you recommend the book?
Can you pull out the most interesting quotes/events and comment on them/it?
What can you compare the book to? (real life, other books or short stories, something you've experienced?
Was the author successful in getting his/her message across?