The dream of a golden age, first expressed by Hesiod, and philosophical writings such as Plato's Republic, has become a recurring theme in literature. Many have attempted to define the ideal society. For some, the dream has turned into a nightmare, a dystopia. This page includes the best of these speculations. Utopia by Sir Thomas More [1516] Mores' work is a fictional travelogue to a country named 'Utopia', which means 'nowhere' in Greek. The New Atlantis by Francis Bacon [1627] A short utopian travelogue by the inventor of the scientific method. by Tommaso Campanella [1637] Along with More, Campanella wrote one of the first early modern utopias. Symzonia: Voyage of Discovery by Adam Seaborn, (pseud. John Cleves Symmes?) [1820] One of the rarest Hollow Earth books: a perilous sea journey to a utopian society in the inner earth, possibly the first American utopian science fiction novel. The Republic tr. by Benjamin Jowett [1871] One of the first speculations about a planned society. Erewhon, or Over the Range by Samuel Butler [1872] An influential 19th century satiric dystopia. The Communistic Societies of the United States by Charles Nordhoff [1875] Firsthand view of the 19th century US communal living movement, including the Shakers. Looking Backwards by Edward Bellamy [1888] Bellamy's classic utopian vision of the year 2000. Cæsar's Column by Ignatius Donnelly [1890] Donnelly's dystopian novel with a utopian twist. This book contains many 19th century assumptions which may test your limits of political correctness, along with some stupifyingly correct predictions. News from Nowhere by William Morris [1891] William Morris' vision of a socialist England. Unveiling a Parallel by Alice Ilgenfritz Jones and Ella Merchant [1893] A trip to Mars, where a strange society which practices equality of the sexes. A Modern Utopia by H.G. Wells [1909] Wells' 'novel of ideas' set on a parallel Earth. The Iron Heel by Jack London [1909] Jack London's dystopian vision of a brutal future past. Garden Cities of To-morrow by Ebenezer Howard [1902] A very influential early city planner's vision of the city of the future--which became a very successful reality. Herland by Charlotte Perkins Stetson Gilman [1906] Visit a land where women are the only gender. They reproduce asexually, and worship a goddess. Classic of feminist scifi. The Story of Utopias by Lewis Mumford [1922] A survey of the literature of utopias, by a pioneer of city planning. Due to copyright restrictions, an etext of George Orwell's 1984 [External Site] is not available in the US. This link is to a copy on an Australian server. This file is not to be downloaded or read if you don't live in Australia, because that would be double plus ungood thoughtcrime. |
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