LITR 5737: Literary & Historical Utopias
Final Exam Submission 2007
Carlos Castillo
July 2, 2007
Topic A3: Utopian Literature: A Foundation to Build Upon
There are many considerations that have to be taken into account when looking at the special genre we call utopia. Because utopias are an idealized, fantastic, and largely fictive in nature, it creates a barrier that literature must overcome or at least mediate in order to pull out the interesting and relevant information that makes literature important to readers and writers. What I will attempt to evaluate in this essay are the difficulties that this process creates, while also trying to explain why working through them is necessary in order to get to relevant literature aspect that we all look for in these fantastical utopian societies.
There are many reasons to keep utopian studies as topics at just about any education level, but especially at the secondary and university levels. Some texts with utopian themes are already being studied in some schools. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding is a good example. Although not traditionally seen as a utopian novel, the book does show elements that make it conducive to at least showing utopian aspects. The book, about a group of stranded boys that attempt to form a society, set up their own system of running things. The utopian aspects, when confronted with dystopian problems, gives readers a literary foundation, one that is important when trying to decipher the importance of utopias.
The important thing then becomes not the utopian aspects, but the dystopian elements that create the problems in these idealized societies. Ayn Rand’s Anthem is a perfect example of a dystopian society that is whittled away at slowly by one single, utopian visionary. “Everything which comes from the many is good. Everything that comes from one is evil” (85). This was something that the utopian protagonist character in Anthem saw as truth up until they began to realize that perhaps the collective society was blind with ignorance and that breaking that fear of being a part of a collective meant risking his own life in order to gain back some independence. This idea of doing the difficult but right thing is one that utopian societies seem to embrace. Of course equality and freedom are things that are also constantly mentioned in utopian charters and community practices. These ideas are a cornerstone to understanding not only literature within a certain time period, but also understanding the society during the same time period.
A clear example of how utopias are influenced by the society around them is the Hog Farm and The Farm. In Ruth Pilarte’s historical presentation, Pilarte stated, “In the late 1960’s, a significant number of young Americans became disillusioned with the Vietnam War and the establishment’s crass commercialism. They called themselves hippies and flower children, and they were frustrated with conventional answers”. Pilarte went on to show how the two utopian experimental communities took these values, creating a new society in which these values were discouraged and things like recreational drug use and “free love” reigned. It is examples like these that make utopias relevant to the society from which they are spawned. Partly because it is this society that will be in direct contrast to the values that are present and which instills such repudiation that it in turn becomes the catalyst in which the utopian, or dystopian society depending on your vantage point a necessity.
There is also the added incentive of creating motivation in students in regards to not only historical social structures, but current ones as well. Interesting literary texts like Herland, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a great example how a novel that delves into an almost science fiction take on utopian societies exposes not only the current social structures of Gilman’s time period, but also helps readers see the implications on how far we have progressed or digressed compared to modern times. This is seen in Terry’s take on how women in Gilman’s time were treated, “We do not allow our women to work. Women are loved-idolized-honored-kept in the home to care for the children” (61). It is through these shades of discovery that a reader’s understanding begins to fully develop.
Ernest Callenbach’s Ecotopia is another good example of utopian literature that strives to motivate progressive change. The secession of a few states from the United States because of the economic troubles that are present is an excellent example of how through the novels portrayal of the U.S. as a dystopia, it makes a point of ingeniously pointing out current economic and ecological problems in an entertaining way for the reader. This application of utopian ideals to common problems like food waste is evident when William Weston asks the Assistant Minister about waste to which he replies “our food preparation has reached an almost totally stable state, with more than 99 percent of our wastes being recycled” (21-22). Callanbach’s approach to eliminating wastes, at least in theory serves two purposes here: first, it addresses the problem within his current social living conditions, and secondly, it shows the hope through fiction, that there could be a better way to do things.
In conclusion, utopian studies as a topic are as important as other genres when it comes to historical, educational, and relevant significance. It is through discussion and dissemination of utopian texts that a reader (i.e. a student) can begin to fully realize the importance of not only historical economic, political, and social systems, but apply the knowledge to their current situations as well. It is this self-discovery that sparks the imagination of readers and allows for future discoveries and innovations.
Topic B2: Millennialism: How Important is it to Utopias?
Millennialism as a component to Utopian narratives and within the course texts we have studied over the semester has been very important in many instances. There are probably several reasons for this, but the most probable is that Utopias are created because of an atmosphere of needed change. Whether or not this change is natural or man-made as in Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, when Utopus dug a channel, separating his utopian society from the rest of the world, is not always clear. But the necessity for change seems to be a repeating factor in not only the historical utopias, but the literary ones as well.
The book of Revelation is a good example of millennialism, and its importance to the utopian narrative. The controversial book in the bible prophesizes the degradation of the earth and the people that live on it, and of the return of the Lord and a glorious period of prosperity and “heaven on earth” for which utopian ideals are openly discussed. This paradise on earth could be the source of the “idea” for utopias, as many of the utopian societies, whether fictional or historical, model themselves after this Garden of Eden theme. The very fact that many utopian societies mirror this image of perfection, gives them a religious if not spiritual significance.
Sir Thomas More’s Utopia does this as described in my previous essay by having Utopus create the millennial effect himself, “he ordered a deep channel to be dug fifteen miles long” (28). This epic undertaking is paramount to a natural occurrence like a volcanic eruption or earthquake, in effect causing the cataclysmic separation of Utopia from the rest of the known civilizations. The advantage of this enormous undertaking is of course that the new society is allowed to progress freely and of its own undertaking without outside interference. Of course the disadvantage of this as we will see with Herland, is an isolation which could hinder economic or social progress being made by the societies outside the utopian walls.
This brings us to Charlotte Perkin Gilman’s Herland, in which we see a millennial event which separates the Herlanders from the rest of the world, “there occurred a volcanic outburst, with some local tremors, and the result was the complete filling up of the pass-their only outlet” (54). This outlet, of course also being the only communication line with those outside of the Herland society. The advantage as stated with Utopia is that this society proceeded unmolested, but unlike the Utopians, the Herlanders went through the disadvantage of being isolated from new discoveries, art, and world history that communication with the outside worlds afforded. In this sense, the women of Herland were somewhat naïve. Where they excelled in horticulture, and physical fitness, they lacked the cultural awareness of others different from themselves.
Applying the millennialism aspect to an actual practicing utopian culture, we can look at Donny Leveston’s look at the Mormon religion. Started by Joseph Smith who had what we could describe as a millennial supernatural occurrence, it is clear to see that the Mormon religion, at least in it’s beginnings, sought isolation to grow. Eventually settling in Utah, it was because of direct conflict with the U.S. government and social pressure that Mormons had to adapt their religion to fit in with the dystopian ideal they tried to escape. The cultural disadvantages to them resulting in losing the practice of polygamy, as least openly. Although this is just an example, the process could have been the same with any other aspect of the religion that did not fit the moral judgments of the larger society as a whole. It is why the millennial aspect of a large event which creates change and in some cases isolationism that becomes an important part to the emergence and prosperity of these utopian societies.
In conclusion, millennialism is an important aspect of utopian societies, whether they are literary or historical. The apocalyptic act creates the separation needed for a utopian society to progress unrestrained. Whether or not this progress eventually falls in on itself, or prospers, depends on the willingness of the society to adapt and address fundamental problems evident in all utopian experiments. An unwillingness to change, as in Ayn Rand’s Anthem, lends protagonists like Prometheus and Gaea to question the authority of these utopian societies, sometimes exposing them as the dystopias that they are, and leads them on a diverging path in the hopes of finding the ever perfect utopian Garden of Eden in isolation from judging eyes.
References:
Bellamy, Edward. Looking Backward. 2000-1887. New York: Signet Classic, 2000.
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. Herland. New York: Pantheon Books, 1979.
Leveston, Donny. “Mormonism: Alive and Thriving.” 2007 Historical Presentation. LITR 5737. UHCL.
More, Sir Thomas. Utopia. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover Publications, 1997.
Pilarte, Ruth. “60s Utopian Movements.” 2007 Historical Presentation. LITR 5737. UHCL.
Rand, Ayn. Anthem. New York: Signet, 1995.