sets . ▁ ▁Character istics ▁ ▁At ▁its ▁most ▁basic , ▁par ano id ▁fiction ▁refers ▁specifically ▁to ▁works ▁about ▁spec ulations ▁and ▁possible ▁consp ira cies ▁by ▁people ▁in ▁power , ▁told ▁by ▁an ▁un re li able ▁narr ator . ▁ ▁However , ▁the ▁most ▁popular ▁type ▁of ▁par ano id ▁fiction ▁has ▁proved ▁to ▁be ▁one ▁in ▁which ▁the ▁universe ▁appears ▁on ▁the ▁surface ▁to ▁be ▁definite ▁and ▁real , ▁but ▁upon ▁closer ▁ins pection , ▁to ▁actually ▁be ▁de cept ive ▁and ▁deliber ately ▁mis leading . ▁ ▁In ▁these ▁works , ▁there ▁are ▁either ▁questions ▁raised ▁as ▁to ▁the ▁real ness ▁of ▁the ▁world ▁the ▁characters ▁are ▁living ▁in , ▁or ▁a ▁distinction ▁made ▁between ▁a ▁fant asy ▁world ▁and ▁its ▁reality . ▁ ▁Par ano id ▁fiction ▁often ▁over laps ▁with ▁many ▁other ▁gen res , ▁most ▁commonly ▁d yst op ian ▁fiction , ▁science ▁fiction , ▁and ▁film ▁no ir , ▁sharing ▁many ▁of ▁its ▁main ▁them es ▁and ▁literary ▁devices . ▁ ▁Gener ally , ▁however , ▁par ano id ▁fiction ▁avoid s ▁explicitly ▁defined ▁them es ▁and ▁concrete ▁mot ifs ▁in ▁favor ▁of ▁alleg ories ▁and ▁ambigu ous ▁symbol ism ▁to ▁emphas ize ▁the ▁dream like ▁and ▁un real ▁nature ▁of ▁the ▁characters ' ▁world . ▁ ▁For ▁example , ▁a ▁purely ▁d yst op ian ▁work ▁typically ▁expl ores ▁the ▁mechan isms ▁and ▁mot ives ▁of ▁the ▁total itar ian ▁state ▁to ▁keep ▁its ▁people ▁under ▁control , ▁whereas ▁one ▁of ▁par ano