Utopia and Dystopia in Literature and Cinema
Science fiction in literature and cinematography has been usually perceived as a genre which either exposes the dangers of growing technology and its effects on mankind, usually in an apocalyptic setting, or which foresees an expansion of humankind into the Universe and possible encounters with other forms of life. The former usually carries a dystopian, while the latter both dystopian and, although rarely, utopian views of the future. In the article Deconstructing The Matrix, particular attention will be paid to one film of this genre, The Matrix, directed by Andy and Larry Wachlowski in 1999. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate that a perspective of the conventional perception of the genre as mostly entertaining is a limited one, and to provide arguments for multiple interpretations of the work. The work will be analyzed by applying a methodology of deconstructive analysis and will be focused in more detail into binary oppositions of the main themes presented in the film. Finally, by deconstructing the visual and linguistic material, it will be suggested how and where the inconsistencies, misstatements or contradictions open up the material for further questioning. The visual and linguistic elements which are present and also absent from the core text and the subtexts will be consequently examined and compared. Key Terms: Science Fiction, Utopia, Dystopia, Literature, Cinema EDEBİYAT VE SİNEMADA ÜTOPYA VE DİSTOPYA