Aesthetic, Ethical and Empirical Readings: Revisiting Dystopian Fiction (I)

Based on recent research in literary criticism, primarily a preoccupation for the literary response among the readers (students) in the academic milieu, this article attempts to propose different perspectives and discuss various levels of interpretation of dystopian fiction - going beyond the cliches that for instance have lead throughout the years to its confusion with the science fiction genre - reclaiming an increasing need for a specialized bibliography. We contend these literary works entail peculiar ethical considerations and ultimately they require a specific methodology close to a psychonarratological approach, namely empirical.