Utopian and Dystopian Fictions

About Utopian and Dystopian Fictions

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.

Publisher

Utopian and Dystopian Fictions

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Oct 2024

Latest episode

4 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

24 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   4 Aug 2026

   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 (https://www.ecfriedman.com/), on X (https://x.com/friede?lang=en), and on Bluesky (https://bsky.app/profile/friede.bsky.social). 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 (utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com)

2. 

   29 May 2026

   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 (https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/english/people/jessica.norledge), and you can find out more about The Language of Dystopia (Palgrave, 2022) here (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-93103-2). 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 (utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com)

3. 

   24 Apr 2026

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

   In this bumper episode, we are joined by Jacqueline Dutton (https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/4911-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 (https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/4911-jacqueline-dutton), 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 (https://www.routledge.com/Wine-Terroir-and-Utopia-Making-New-Worlds/Dutton-Howland/p/book/9781032338309). ~~~ In the introduction, we celebrate Matt's latest book, Wastelands and Wonderlands: Utopias and Dystopias in Film and Literature (https://sunypress.edu/Books/W/Wastelands-and-Wonderlands) (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 (https://open.spotify.com/episode/7pCiXKOF410FxrnN31cIDE?si=dbc27256476b4805) and Apple Music (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-meal-of-thorns-48-ready-player-one-with-matthew-leggatt/id1754954270?i=1000762380486) - 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 (utopiananddystopianfictions@gmail.com)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

14 ratings

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Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.