Dystopian States of America: Apocalyptic Visions and Warnings in Literature and Film

A crucial resource that studies the impact of dystopian works on American society, this book examines ways in which they reflect our deep and persistent fears about environmental calamities, authoritarian governments, invasive technologies, and human weakness.

Through its wide survey of dystopian works in numerous forms and genres, this book encourages readers to connect with these works of fiction and understand how the catastrophically grim or disquieting worlds they portray offer insights into our own current situation. In addition to providing more than 150 encyclopedia articles on a large and representative sample of dystopian/apocalyptic narratives in fiction, film, television, and video games (including popular works that often escape critical inquiry), Dystopian States of America features a suite of critical essays on five themes - war, pandemics, totalitarianism, environmental calamity, and technological overreach - that serve as the foundation for most dystopian worlds of the imagination. These offerings complement one another, enabling readers to explore dystopian conceptions of America and the world from multiple perspectives and vantage points.