Critics on core texts Flashcards
Dystopian critic
‘Dystopian societies are generally more or less thinly…
veiled re-figurations of a situation that already exists in reality’
-20th century critic
use when discussing the purpose of dystopian fiction and the relation it has to real world issues
Dystopian critic
‘Social…
criticism’
-20th century critic
use when discussing the purpose of dystopian fiction as this highlights the importance of criticising our own environments.
Dystopian critic
‘Dystopian fictions provide fresh…
perspectives on problematic social and political practices’
-20th century critic
use when discussing the purpose of dystopian fiction as this highlights the importance of questioning issues
Dystopian critic
‘Prod…
romic’
-20th century critic
use when discussing the purpose of dystopian fiction as this highlights the importance of questioning issues
(prodromic means symptoms that appear before the onset of a specific disease or illness)
1984 critic
’powered by the horrors…
of two world wars’
-20th century critic
use when discussing the purpose of dystopian fiction and the relation it has to real world issues
HT critic
(The historical notes) ‘sound a…
warning’
-20th century critic
use when discussing the purpose of dystopian fiction and the relation it has to real world issues
HT critic
‘Offred is the…
victim of circumstances’
-20th century critic
use when discussing Offred’s character and position in the dystopian society as a ‘victim’
1984 critic
‘George Orwell’s handling of his…
main female character in 1984 is clichéd, clumsy, and not a little sexist’
-21st century critic
use this when discussing gender in dystopia and Julia within 1984
1984 critic
‘Julia is anything but…
revolutionary, she only cares about the personal immediate’
-21st century critic
use this when discussing gender in dystopia and Julia within 1984
HT self critic (Atwood)
‘I would not include anything that human beings had…
not already done’
-Atwood
use this when discussing the link between dystopia and real world issues
HT self critic (Atwood)
‘I wanted to try a dystopia from…
the female point of view’
-Atwood
use this when discussing gender in dystopia and Offred’s character
HT self critic (Atwood)
(The historical notes) ‘I was perhaps too optimistic to end the Handmaid’s story with…
an outright failure’
-Atwood
Use when discussing the framing narrative within the Handmaids tale.
1984 critic
‘Winston’s tragedy is not that…
he is defeated, but that he is utterly alone’
-20th century critic
Bring in when discussing isolation and control of relationships
