Utopian and Dystopian Fictions

Utopian and Dystopian Fictions
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Utopian and Dystopian Fictions is a podcast for scholars, thinkers, and anyone with an interest in utopian and dystopian theory, literature, film, and television. It’s hosted by Dr Matthew Leggatt (Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Winchester) and Dr Liam Knight (Independent Scholar). In each episode we interview a different academic in the field and interrogate myths and common misconceptions about the genre. If you have any feedback or questions, please feel free to send us an email, using utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com.

  1. Aug 4

    Episode 24: Emily Friedman, Actual Play, Critical Role, and Utopianism

    In this episode, we speak with Emily Friedman, the Jean Wickstrom Liles Associate Professor at Auburn University, an 18th-century literary scholar by training who has become one of the leading academic experts on TTRPGs (tabletop role-playing games) like Dungeons & Dragons and 'Actual Play'. In speaking with Emily about TTRPGs and Actual Play, we consider how playing TTRPGs or watching or producing Actual Play content can be considered utopian: they are collaborative practices, often hold progressive values, allow us to measure different modes of living in both utopian and dystopian settings, and are rooted in care. Emily and Matt spend some time discussing Actual Play as a genre and consider how it unlocks possibilities not seen in other literary modes. This leads to a chat about Critical Role, one of the biggest Actual Play series (one of Matt and Liam's not-so-guilty interests!), and the utopianism found in the stories they tell and the community they have built. In closing, Emily and Matt turn to the political elements of TTRPGs and Actual Play, with Emily then sharing details of her upcoming projects and making a few recommendations for our listeners. You can find out more about Emily and her work on her website, on X, and on Bluesky. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know! You can follow and rate the podcast, leave us a comment, or email us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com

  2. May 29

    Episode 23: Jess Norledge, Dystopian Language, and the Language of Dystopia

    In this episode, we speak with Jess Norledge, an Assistant Professor in Stylistics at the University of Nottingham. Our conversation with Jess centres on the relationship between language and dystopian fiction, drawing on her work at the intersection of linguistics and literary studies. We explore why language so often functions as a tool of control in dystopian worlds, from Nineteen Eighty-Four and The Giver to more contemporary texts such as Tender Is the Flesh and Vox. Along the way, we discuss the crucial (and sometimes uncomfortable) link between language, voice, and power, considering how dystopian narratives both silence individuals and enable resistance through linguistic agency. We also turn our attention to the stylistic machinery of dystopia: how language shapes immersion, drives reader response, and underpins world-building. From constructed languages in A Clockwork Orange to the cognitive and emotional effects of dystopian storytelling, Jess offers fascinating insights into how these texts linger in the mind. Our discussion further examines narrative perspective, the role of the “social mind,” and the evolving boundaries of the genre. Finally, we explore the concept of “paratopia” and the increasing prevalence of dystopian narratives that feel uncomfortably close to our present moment, alongside Jess’s ongoing work on gender, climate fiction, and contemporary dystopian forms. You can find out more about Jess and her work here, and you can find out more about The Language of Dystopia (Palgrave, 2022) here. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know! You can follow and rate the podcast, leave us a comment, or email us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com

  3. Apr 24

    Episode 22: Jacqueline Dutton, 'Indigenous Futurism', and Utopianism and Place

    In this bumper episode, we are joined by Jacqueline Dutton, a Professor in French Studies at the University of Melbourne, celebrate Matt's latest publication, and announce a competition! Our conversation with Jacqueline covers a variety of topics, all of which are unified by a throughline of utopia(nism) and place. To begin, we chat about the dystopian qualities of Aboriginal author Alexis Wright's books Carpentaria (2006) and The Swan Book (2013), drawing on Jacqueline's chapter in Matt's book (more on that below), and discuss how and why the concept of utopia is problematic in Indigenous contexts. Our conversation then turns to the topic of utopia and place, including a location called Utopia in Australia and the utopian (or dystopian) elements of wine. In closing, Jacqueline shares how the concept of utopia differs across different cultural imaginaries, using examples from across Francophone and Japanese traditions. You can find out more about Jacqueline on her University of Melbourne profile, and if you're interested in finding out more about the utopianism of wine, you can find Wine, Terroir and Utopia: Making New Worlds (2020) here. ~~~ In the introduction, we celebrate Matt's latest book, Wastelands and Wonderlands: Utopias and Dystopias in Film and Literature (2026), published by SUNY Press. Matt's book contains chapters written by several friends of the podcast, including Jacqueline's 'Indigenizing the Critical Dystopia: Alexis Wright's (Post)Apocalyptic Imaginaries in Carpentaria and The Swan Book'! Would you like to win a copy of Wastelands and Wonderlands? Then enter our competition! To enter, you need to: Comment on this episode (Spotify or Apple Podcasts), quote post our competition post on BlueSky, and / or repost with your thoughts on the competition post on Matt's LinkedIn account, writing: Letting us know what your favourite UADF episode is and why.Sharing something that you have read, watched, or listened to as a result of listening to the podcast.Bluesky and LinkedIn only: tagging a friend who might enjoy UADF!You can enter the competition up to three times (once by commenting on this episode, once via Bluesky, and once via LinkedIn). Entries close on 23:45pm (UK time) on May 17th 2026, after which we will put all names into a hat, draw a winner, and announce who won in the introduction to our next episode! Matt has also recently appeared on the A Meal of Thorns podcast, where he talks about Ernest Cline's Ready Player One (2011). You can listen on Spotify and Apple Music - after listening to this episode, of course! ~~~ If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know! You can follow and rate the podcast, leave us a comment, or email us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com

  4. Mar 27

    Episode 21: Author Interview - Daniel Olivas, 'Chicano Frankenstein', and Immigration

    In this episode, we are joined by Daniel Olivas, who - as well as having a successful career as a lawyer in California - is an acclaimed author of several works of prose fiction, poetry, dramatic texts, and non-fiction. Our conversation with Daniel draws on his perspective as an attorney within the American legal system, writer, and grandson of Mexican immigrants. Central to this chat is a discussion of his novel Chicano Frankenstein (2024), a dystopian novel that imagines a future in which corpses are reanimated, have their memories and identities wiped, and are used to supplement America's labour force. Although clearly dystopian, Chicano Frankenstein is, at its heart, a tender, funny novel that explores how we find or make meaning in our lives. As we discuss in our interview with Daniel, his reanimated characters can be seen as stand-ins for immigrants - or indeed any marginalised figure in modern society - and as such our conversation oscillates between a close literary discussion and broader social commentary, particularly with reference to American politics. As a guest, Daniel is equal parts profound and entertaining, and we feel lucky to count him among the podcast's close friends, as he's been following along since our inception! You can find out more about Daniel on his website here and you can follow him on Bluesky at @danielolivas@bsky.social. You can also read his article, 'Howling Into the Wind: On 41 years of Writing About the Abuses of the Immigration System' here. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know! You can follow and rate the podcast, leave us a comment, or email us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com

  5. Feb 27

    Episode 20: Taylor Cavallo and Mark Gatto, Work Dystopias and the Business of Gender

    In this episode we are joined by two guests, Taylor Cavallo (an Instructor at the University of Minnesota) and Mark Gatto (Assistant Professor in Critical Organisation Studies at Northumbria University). Our conversation with Taylor and Mark centres on the topic of work, drawing on their academic, professional, and personal experiences, and examines the dystopian and utopian elements of real and imagined work practices. We open by discussing how work is presented in the television shows Severance (2022+) and The Handmaid's Tale (2017-2025), and go on to talk about real-world work policies around things like parental leave may have utopian or dystopian bearings. We discuss Taylor's and Mark's publications throughout this episode. Taylor's article, 'Beyond the womb: a mosaic of organizational advocacy for reproductive justice' (2023), co-authored with Nicole Dillard, can be found here. You can find Mark's book, Parents at Work: A Dystopian ‘Fictocriticism’ to Subvert Patriarchal Organisations (2023), here, and his article, 'Parenthood demands: resisting a dystopia in the workplace' (2020), here. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know! You can follow and rate the podcast, leave us a comment, or email us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com

  6. Jan 30

    Episode 19: Author Interview - Paul E. Hardisty, "The Hope", and Ecodystopia.

    In this episode, we speak with Paul E. Hardisty, an environmental scientist, keen conservationist, and novelist known first for his 'Claymore Straker' series and, most recently, 'The Forcing' trilogy - a series of dystopian fiction with an ecological emphasis that has been called 'provocative and insightful, visceral and terrifying'. We speak with Paul about The Hope, the final instalment of 'The Forcing' trilogy, which came out on January 29th 2026! Called a 'superbly handled tale of struggle and survival in a maimed world' by The Times, The Hope is set in the near-future, where climate collapse, famine, and war have ravaged the world. It features sixteen-year-old Boo Ashworth, a girl with the remarkable ability to perfectly recall anything she had read previously, who fights to save her loved ones and bring hope to a broken world. You can find Paul on the Orenda Books website, Facebook, Substack, and X. You can order The Hope here. You can read the Australian National Outlook - the report we discussed with Paul that sets out how Australia can move towards a more sustainable future - here. Paul's non-fiction recommendations are: In Hot Water: Inside the Battle to Save the Great Barrier Reef, by Paul E. HardistyThe Golden Spruce, by John ValliantNatural Capitalism, by Amory Lovins, Hunter Lovins, and Paul HawkenLess is More: How Degrowth will Save the World, by Jason Hickel A huge thanks to Paul for joining us on the podcast, and to his publishers at Orenda Books for reaching out and sending us proof copies of The Hope. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know! You can follow and rate the podcast, leave us a comment, or email us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com

  7. Jan 9

    Episode 18: Amy Brookes, Architecture and Speculative Fiction

    We begin Season 3 of the Utopian and Dystopian Fictions Podcast by chatting with Amy Brookes, an architect and Associate Lecturer at the University of Reading. In our conversation with Amy, we turn our attention to the intersections between architecture, utopianism, and speculative fiction. Drawing on literary texts, theoretical ideas, and real-world practice, we have a far reaching discussion in which we discuss the utopian impulse behind architectural practice (and the debate within the field of architecture about whether architects are utopianists) and the insights that reading speculative fiction may reveal to architects, among other topics. Amy's love for speculative fiction really comes across in this interview, with her interview possibly containing the most varied list of references to speculative texts to date! You can find out more about Amy and her work here. And you can read her most recent paper, 'Held in common: science fiction and collective spaces' here. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know! You can follow and rate the podcast, leave us a comment, or email us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com

  8. 10/31/2025

    Episode 17: Halloween Special (Season 2 Finale) - Dystopia and Horror

    In this Season 2 Finale, Matt and Liam spend some time looking back at Season 2 of the Utopian and Dystopian Fictions podcast and chatting about what's to come in Season 3, before then discussing a very seasonal topic for this Halloween Special: Dystopia and Horror! We talk about the relationship between these two genres by focusing on two short stories (among other texts): Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery' (1948) and Ray Bradbury's 'The Veldt' (1950). Both these texts, we suggest, straddle the line between Dystopia and Horror, and we talk about how and why one might fall more on the dystopian side and the other might fall more on the horrifying side. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know! You can follow and rate the podcast, leave us a comment, or email us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com

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About

Utopian and Dystopian Fictions is a podcast for scholars, thinkers, and anyone with an interest in utopian and dystopian theory, literature, film, and television. It’s hosted by Dr Matthew Leggatt (Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Winchester) and Dr Liam Knight (Independent Scholar). In each episode we interview a different academic in the field and interrogate myths and common misconceptions about the genre. If you have any feedback or questions, please feel free to send us an email, using utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Utopian and Dystopian Fictions
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Utopian and Dystopian Fictions
  • Show Website
    Utopian and Dystopian Fictions

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