Literary Utopian Societies Essays

In his book Utopia, Thomas More examines a society that seems to be the ideal living situation for human beings. The main thesis of Utopia is his solution to many of the problems that are being faced in English society in the early 16th century.

Although they consider politics of other states to be flawed and corrupted, Utopia is not without its suspicions. Kings of

Another Utopian idea to examine is “Individuality and Innovation are welcome”. It is stated within The Handmaids Tale that women are not allowed to read and write all they are to do is bare children and care for the home.

In Brave New World Aldous Huxley, creates a dystopian society which is scientifically advance in order to make life orderly, easy, and free of trouble. This society is controlled by a World State who is not question. In this world life is manufactured and everyone is created with a purpose, never having the choice of free will. Huxley use of irony and tone bewilders readers by creating a world with puritanical social norms, which lacks love, privacy and were a false sense of happiness is instituted, making life meaningless and controlled.

Different societies have risen and fallen in the continual search for the “perfect” society. The definition of this utopia is in constant flux due to changing times and cultural values. Many works of literature have been written describing a utopian society and the steps needed to achieve it. However, there are those with a more cynical or more realistic view of society that comment on current and future trends. These individuals look at the problems in society and show how to solve them with the use of control and power. Such a society is considered undesirable and has become known as dystopian society.

When one reflects on the period during which Huxley’s novel was written and the modern world of his time, the comparison to the socialist world cannot be ignored. The whole idea of a utopia is very similar to socialism. The World State society is under the complete control of the government. Pre-destination department chooses what people will learn, what they will do and how they will look. Each caste wears a different color clothes and does different type of labor. None of these decisions are made by people themselves. In our society, even with the socialism, where government decides what products to produce, in what quantities, and how people will live, people still have a choice and opportunity to be different. Stability and individuality in utopia are reached by taking away the individuality from people. In the World State government controls desires and consumption by creating and destroying the demand for certain objects through the psychological training of infants.

The utopia was only perfect for the leader

What comes to mind when you imagine a utopian society? Few people will come up with relatively the same answer. This is because everyone has their own image of what a perfect community would look like. For instance, the novels Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Divergent by Veronica Roth, and Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, all had their own takes on a

In our lives today, we take advantage of all the luxuries that are presented daily. Freedom alone is one of the greatest luxuries we possess as an American nation. In Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs and Utopia by Thomas Moore, we are presented two life styles, which some might consider very similar in various ways. Both authors focus on a peaceful living lifestyle, to better the people of the nation. Although some of their specific details are different, I believe that Jacobs would definitely approve of the features that More develops in Utopia.

‘One man’s utopia is another man’s dystopia.’ This is a famous quote we must often bear in mind when writing about such topics and it is often fairly accurate. A utopian society, in this essay, will be defined as a “non-existent society that is described in considerable detail…” (Fitting, 1993, 1) and an ideal and visionary society that enjoys perfection in various fields such as politics, law and more as seen in Thomas More’s famous novel, Utopia. A positive utopian society is often impossible due to a variety of reasons, primarily human nature and the inevitable inequality found in these idealized societies. A prime example of how a utopian society is often impossible can be found in Andrew Niccol’s film, Gattaca (1997). The film Gattaca explores a new version of an idealized society, a utopia that revolves heavily around genetic engineering. In Gattaca, an individual’s future is delineated by his or

The so-called Utopia – the quasi-perfect society – flourishes in Margaret Cavendish’s “The Description of a New World, Called a Blazing World” and Sir Thomas More’s Utopia. While the former is a dreamlike account of fantasy rule and the latter a pseudo-realistic travelogue, both works paint a picture of worlds that are not so perfect after all. These imperfections glitter like false gemstones in the paths of these Utopians’ religious beliefs, political systems, and philosophical viewpoints.

First, I will describe the origin of the concept of utopia and how it evolved over the years. Then I will compare two utopian-based literary works to prove how older

G.R. Elton, a political and constitutional historian, wrote “The Real Thomas More?” and explored the ways in which More’s Utopia utterly presents a dystopia. Elton demonstrates a compelling argument in which More presents “very restrictive commonwealth, subduing the individual to the common purpose and setting each man’s life in predetermined, unalterable grooves” (Elton). By exploring Elton’s thesis, one can better understand the satirical nature of More’s Utopia.

Throughout history, mankind has struggled to lead better lives and improve their society for future generations. What do we continuously attempt to improve? What kind of changes are we trying to institute? In other words, what is an ideal society? Many people have very diversified views about a perfect civilization. In Plato's Republic, Sir Thomas More's Utopia, and James Gurney's Dinotopia, three imaginary societies are described, each with its own peculiarities and highlights. Various aspects of the nations described in these three novels, including their respective economies, governments, and social structures, will be compared and contrasted.

When Thomas More penned Utopia in 1535, he not only created a new genre in fiction, he also created a new adjective.  Miriam-Webster defines Utopia as: "a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions." An alternate definition given by the same dictionary is: "an impractical scheme for social improvement."(Miriam-Webster) For the purpose of this essay we will be focusing on the latter; Utopia as an adjective. The paradox of the paradigm of More's Utopia is that all human beings are governed on some level by their ego. For example; most, if not all men have bravado. And, all men, and women suffer from their own vanity. Even within the confines of their own relationship of the utopians with their higher