Intellectual asymmetrical warfare: (Ab)Use of dystopian literature in Western media and literary circles

Since the masterpiece of Thomas More, Utopia, the concept of a perfectly balanced and harmonious society, has been a concept that took place in both literary works and the political arenas. On the other end of the spectrum, within the first half of twentieth century, the concept of dystopia emerged, not as a reaction to the utopian concept, but more in a way to reflect on the negatives that await the societies in the future in case that the status quo in the eyes of the author continues to be maintained. While the genre of dystopian novel did not receive critical acclaim until the latter half of the twentieth century, it was utilized in ways that are not purely for the sake of art and literature. Specifically, after the Second World War, during the Cold War era, western media noticed the concept of dystopian novel and utilized it in an unprecedented way. While the use of literary works to influence societies have been commonplace since the Roman Empire, this was not for having the audiences to enjoy the work of art, but rather create a monster that haunts people after reading it. This thesis is going to explain how George Orwell's Nineteen-Eighty-Four and Yevgeny Zamyatin's We have been discovered by the western ideology and how they are used in order to create a demonic image of the Soviet Union, using the most unconventional methods available at their disposal.