Human Rights in Dystopian Novels
A Literary Commentary on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Summary
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction: The Preamble
- Chapter 1 Utopia, Law and the Parallel
- 1.1 Understanding Uto/Dystopian Fiction
- 1.1.1 Turning Social Dreaming into a Genre: The Development of Utopian Thought and Utopian Genres
- 1.1.2 Pushing Reality to the Extreme: Dystopia and Its Social Significance
- 1.1.3 Utopia, Law and the Pursuit of Ideal Society
- 1.2 Understanding Human Rights
- 1.2.1 Developing the Foundations of Human Rights: From Antiquity until World War II
- 1.2.2 Universal Morality and Universal Codification: Modern Human Rights
- 1.2.3 The Human Face of Law and the Legal Face of Fiction
- 1.3 Dystopia as a Legal Novel
- Chapter 2 The Principles of Human Rights: Classical and Feminist Dystopias
- 2.1 Article 1 (Standard of Equality and Freedom)
- 2.1.1 Legal Commentary
- 2.1.2 The Violation of Standard of Equality and Freedom in Classical Dystopias
- 2.1.3 The Violation of Standard of Equality and Freedom: A Feminist Dystopian Perspective
- 2.2 Article 2 (Non-discrimination Standard)
- 2.2.1 Legal Commentary
- 2.2.2 Discrimination in Classical Dystopias
- 2.2.3 Discrimination: A Feminist Dystopian Perspective
- Chapter 3 The Fundamental Rights of an Individual: Nineteen Eighty-Four and Red Clocks
- 3.1 Article 3 (Right to Life, Liberty, Security)
- 3.1.1 Legal Commentary
- 3.1.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 3.2 Article 4 (Freedom from Slavery)
- 3.2.1 Legal Commentary
- 3.2.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 3.3 Article 5 (Freedom from Torture)
- 3.3.1 Legal Commentary
- 3.3.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 3.4 Article 6 (Recognition as a Person before the Law)
- 3.4.1 Legal Commentary
- 3.4.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 3.5 Article 7 (Equality before the Law)
- 3.5.1 Legal Commentary
- 3.5.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 3.6 Article 8 (Effective Remedy)
- 3.6.1 Legal Commentary
- 3.6.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 3.7 Article 9 (Freedom from Arbitrary Arrest, Detention, Exile)
- 3.7.1 Legal Commentary
- 3.7.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 3.8 Article 10 (Fair Trial)
- 3.8.1 Legal Commentary
- 3.8.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 3.9 Article 11 (Presumption of Innocence)
- 3.9.1 Legal Commentary
- 3.9.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 3.10 A Feminist Perspective: The Violation of Fundamental Rights of an Individual in Red Clocks
- Chapter 4 The Rights of an Individual in Civil and Political Society as well as Spiritual, Public and Political Freedoms: Brave New World and The Handmaid’s Tale
- 4.1 Article 12 (Right to Privacy)
- 4.1.1 Legal Commentary
- 4.1.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 4.2 Article 13 (Freedom of Movement)
- 4.2.1 Legal Commentary
- 4.2.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 4.3 Article 14 (Right to Asylum)
- 4.3.1 Legal Commentary
- 4.3.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 4.4 Article 15 (Right to Nationality)
- 4.4.1 Legal Commentary
- 4.4.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 4.5 Article 16 (Right to Family)
- 4.5.1 Legal Commentary
- 4.5.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 4.6 Article 17 (Right to Property)
- 4.6.1 Legal Commentary
- 4.6.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 4.7 Article 18 (Freedom of Thought)
- 4.7.1 Legal Commentary
- 4.7.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 4.8 Article 19 (Freedom of Opinion)
- 4.8.1 Legal Commentary
- 4.8.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 4.9 Article 20 (Freedom of Assembly)
- 4.9.1 Legal Commentary
- 4.9.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 4.10 Article 21 (Freedom to Take Part in Public Affairs)
- 4.10.1 Legal Commentary
- 4.10.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 4.11 A Feminist Perspective: The Violation of the Rights and Freedoms of the Individual in Civil and Political Society as well as Spiritual, Public and Political Freedoms in The Handmaid’s Tale
- Chapter 5 Social, Economic and Cultural Rights: We and Parable of the Sower
- 5.1 Article 22 (Right to Social Security)
- 5.1.1 Legal Commentary
- 5.1.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 5.2 Article 23 (Right to Work)
- 5.2.1 Legal Commentary
- 5.2.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 5.3 Article 24 (Right to Rest)
- 5.3.1 Legal Commentary
- 5.3.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 5.4 Article 25 (Right to Adequate Standard of Living)
- 5.4.1 Legal Commentary
- 5.4.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 5.5 Article 26 (Right to Education)
- 5.5.1 Legal Commentary
- 5.5.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 5.6 Article 27 (Right to Participate in Cultural Life)
- 5.6.1 Legal Commentary
- 5.6.2 Dystopian Case Study
- 5.7 A Feminist Perspective: The Violation of Social, Economic and Cultural Rights in Parable of the Sower
- Chapter 6 General Means of Exercising Human Rights: Classical and Feminist Dystopias
- 6.1 Article 28 (Right to Social and International Order)
- 6.1.1 Legal Commentary
- 6.1.2 The Violation of the Right to Social and International Order in Classical Dystopias
- 6.1.3 The Violation of the Right to Social and International Order: A Feminist Dystopian Perspective
- 6.2 Article 29 (Duties to Community)
- 6.2.1 Legal Commentary
- 6.2.2 Duties to Community in Classical Dystopias
- 6.2.3 Duties to Community: A Feminist Dystopian Perspective
- 6.3 Article 30 (Ban on the Abuse of Rights)
- 6.3.1 Legal Commentary
- 6.3.2 The Abuse of Rights in Classical Dystopias
- 6.3.3 The Abuse of Rights: A Feminist Dystopian Perspective
- Conclusion: Transcending the Boundaries of Fiction
- Works Cited
- Legal Documents
Human Rights in Dystopian Novels
A Literary Commentary on the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Berlin · Bruxelles · Chennai · Lausanne · New York · Oxford
Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available online at http://dnb.d-nb.de.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Ginszt, Katarzyna, 1990- author
Title: Human rights in dystopian novels: a literary commentary on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights / Katarzyna Ginszt.
Description: New York: Peter Lang, 2025. | Series: Mediated fictions. studies in verbal and visual narratives, 2194-5918; 21 | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2025015801 (print) | LCCN 2025015802 (ebook) | ISBN 9783631934876 hardback | ISBN 9783631934883 ebook | ISBN 9783631935873 epub
Subjects: LCSH: Dystopias in literature | Fiction--History and criticism | Human rights in literature | Universal Declaration of Human Rights | LCGFT: Literary criticism
Classification: LCC PN56.D94 G55 2025 (print) | LCC PN56.D94 (ebook) | DDC 809.93372--dc23/eng/20250407
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2025015801
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2025015802
The image on the cover is reproduced by courtesy of Jerzy Durczak.
This publication was financially supported by Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Poland.
ISSN 2194-5918
ISBN 978-3-631-93487-6 (Print)
ISBN 978-3-631-93488-3 (E-PDF)
ISBN 978-3-631-93587-3 (E-PUB)
DOI 10.3726/b22781
© 2025 Peter Lang Group AG, Lausanne (Switzerland)
Published by Peter Lang GmbH, Berlin (Germany)
All rights reserved.
All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. Any utilization outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution. This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming, and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems.
This publication has been peer reviewed.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
Utopia, Law and the Parallel
1.1 Understanding Uto/Dystopian Fiction
1.1.1 Turning Social Dreaming into a Genre: The Development of Utopian Thought and Utopian Genres
1.1.2 Pushing Reality to the Extreme: Dystopia and Its Social Significance
1.1.3 Utopia, Law and the Pursuit of Ideal Society
1.2 Understanding Human Rights
1.2.1 Developing the Foundations of Human Rights: From Antiquity until World War II
1.2.2 Universal Morality and Universal Codification: Modern Human Rights
1.2.3 The Human Face of Law and the Legal Face of Fiction
CHAPTER 2
The Principles of Human Rights: Classical and Feminist Dystopias
2.1 Article 1 (Standard of Equality and Freedom)
2.1.2 The Violation of Standard of Equality and Freedom in Classical Dystopias
2.1.3 The Violation of Standard of Equality and Freedom: A Feminist Dystopian Perspective
2.2 Article 2 (Non-discrimination Standard)
2.2.2 Discrimination in Classical Dystopias
2.2.3 Discrimination: A Feminist Dystopian Perspective
CHAPTER 3
The Fundamental Rights of an Individual: Nineteen Eighty-Four and Red Clocks
3.1 Article 3 (Right to Life, Liberty, Security)
3.2 Article 4 (Freedom from Slavery)
3.3 Article 5 (Freedom from Torture)
3.4 Article 6 (Recognition as a Person before the Law)
3.5 Article 7 (Equality before the Law)
3.6 Article 8 (Effective Remedy)
3.7 Article 9 (Freedom from Arbitrary Arrest, Detention, Exile)
3.9 Article 11 (Presumption of Innocence)
3.10 A Feminist Perspective: The Violation of Fundamental Rights of an Individual in Red Clocks
4.1 Article 12 (Right to Privacy)
4.2 Article 13 (Freedom of Movement)
4.3 Article 14 (Right to Asylum)
4.4 Article 15 (Right to Nationality)
4.5 Article 16 (Right to Family)
4.6 Article 17 (Right to Property)
4.7 Article 18 (Freedom of Thought)
Details
- Pages
- 288
- Publication Year
- 2025
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9783631934883
- ISBN (ePUB)
- 9783631935873
- ISBN (Hardcover)
- 9783631934876
- DOI
- 10.3726/b22781
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2025 (October)
- Keywords
- feminist dystopia classical dystopia speculative fiction comparative literature human rights international law fundamental rights individual rights rights and freedoms women’s rights human rights violations dystopia
- Published
- Berlin, Bruxelles, Chennai, Lausanne, New York, Oxford, 2025. 288 pp.
- Product Safety
- Peter Lang Group AG
Biographical notes
Katarzyna Ginszt (Author)
Katarzyna Ginszt, Ph.D., works in the Department of English and American Studies at Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin (Poland). Her academic interests include dystopian literature and film, law and literature, human rights, and the law of new technologies. She has published on European and American fiction and law.
