RiotNrrd:I'm guessing that science fiction readers are more likely to know the word "dystopia" than the general public.

I would imagine you are correct. I read a steady diet of SF and the word comes up fairly often. However, other literature doesn't seem to use it.

ludomastro:

RiotNrrd:I'm guessing that science fiction readers are more likely to know the word "dystopia" than the general public.

I would imagine you are correct. I read a steady diet of SF and the word comes up fairly often. However, other literature doesn't seem to use it.

Quite right, it falls mostly under the sci-fi umbrella, particularly that of "soft sci-fi". Dystopian fiction is often set in the future, or in an alternative present, and/or frequently features science or technology as a means of control.

I suppose the surprise some might feel over how uncommon the word is to others is that titles which feature dystopias are considered to be fairly well known -- Nineteen Eighty-Four, Clockwork Orange, The Handmaid's Tale, Brave New World, V for Vendetta, Battle Royale, The Children of Men, Fahrenheit 451, Lord of the Flies*.

Of course, they (and the word itself) are only known if you've come across them, and there's no guarantee of that.

(*There's a lot of debate over LotF and whether it's truly dystopian. I believe that it is, to an extent.)

anarchtea:(*There's a lot of debate over LotF and whether it's truly dystopian. I believe that it is, to an extent.)

Not sure that I would call it dystopian; however, I can see the thought process to get there. I have always considered it a cautionary tale of exactly how thin the veneer we call civilization is. And I suppose that is a dystopian message.