LITR 5737: Literary & Historical Utopias

Final Exam Submission 2007

Cindy Goodson

July 3, 2007

Create a Utopia to Get Back to ‘The Garden’

and Conventions of Utopian Fiction: An Acquired Taste

Create a Utopia to Get Back to the Garden

Overview: Topic A1.

Creating a utopia can be as simple as writing a 'Dream Speech' like Dr. King did or it can be as complex as compiling sixty-six books and over thousands of pages like the writers did in the Holy Bible. Ultimately, it's the illustration of an ideal place in an ideal time. Or even a place that transcends time as we know it.  Utopian studies also attempts to be a field where literary dreams meet practical realities. In the Book of Genesis for example, we are introduced to the Garden of Eden - a perfect place created by God and the abode of Adam and Eve, God's perfectly created beings made in the image and likeness of him. "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air.. . . . ." (Gen.1 :26) and he took these perfectly created beings and placed them in this perfectly created place where all their needs would be met as long as they were obedient to God's commandments. These and other Bible passages work very well as literary art because they marry the dream with the reality. Had it not been written as colorfully and poetically as it was I wonder if it would have the successful longevity that it has had. That's one of the rewards of keeping the literature aspect in sight. On one hand, we can easily read into the dream aspect of the garden's majestic capabilities and on the other hand, the reality aspect in any society implies that as long as you do what you're supposed to do all should be just fine.

The Genesis-Apocalypse's linear narrative also keeps the literary aspect in sight because of its continuity from Genesis to Revelation. It involves nostalgia of ultimately getting back to Eden - getting back to that perfect place that God had in mind for all of creation that unfortunately, the sins of man had caused all of humanity to be separated from. "I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away.. . ..And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Rev. 21) As Matt Mayo stated in his 2005 final exam, "Christianity promises the faithful entry into the Kingdom of Heaven, a 'good place,' as well as, 'no place:' phrases that essentially define the word Utopia."

Another thing I've learned about literature and fiction as it relates to the study of utopia is that any author can imagine their way right on into the perfect place and live an ideal life just as they envision it. Furthermore they are able to strategically situate their own morals and values inside utopian narratives which give exposure to their deep concerns about things going within society during the time they are writing utopian texts.  Specifically, as it relates to history, politics, sociology, economics, gender, and family any and everything that might constitute a society can be covered in utopian centered discussions and can also be excellent sources of literary art. It has been rewarding for me to be able to gain knowledge of interdisciplinary processes and enjoy the entertainment of fictive narratives which is what literature is supposed to do according to the Roman poet Horace. In essence, Dr. King's ''I Have a Dream" speech works well as "extra-literary utopian text" in that it addresses real life race related, political, socio-economic, class and familial equalities during the civil rights movement. Likewise, it is comprised of language that rings with thunder of a dreamed up place within 'white' society for black people that is supposed to fully accessible to them anyway according to the Emancipation Proclamation. "One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land." In one regard it informs and in another it is captivatingly full of compassion which speaks to the entertainment element of literature's purpose. 

Generally speaking, the use of metaphorical ontology that Dr. King uses helps to link the real with the ideal in this speech, as it does in the Bible and other literary utopian narratives. Dr. King states, "Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must ever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force." Clearly he's talking about a not literal cup in the kitchen that one can actually poor bitterness and hatred into and drink of a liquid thereof. The same applies to the Bible as I touched on in my historical presentation that, "when the Psalmist says that the Lord will cover you with his feathers and that you shall trust "under his wings" (Ps 91.4), he was not suggesting that you will be a blue jay or an eaglet in the nest. When Jesus considers himself as the door, he does not mean that he is a construction of planks. " I think this is a very necessary tool in penetrating the essence of a particular message because it aids in exposing the non-fiction through fiction.

Undoubtedly millennialism is another aid essential to utopian narrative because it in various aspects does away with an old way and evolves into new one. But the difficulty with this dreamed up new place is that it so often runs the risk of leaving gaps in the promises and prophecies of incorporating the real with the ideal. The whole millennial/apocalyptic concept provides a good example of this and we have noticed that there's no timing of the end-times, and it is not as spoken of in terms of a date by apocalyptic prophets and preachers as it has been in times past. They have spoken about the world ending "soon" or "in our generation" but are more careful not to specify exactly when the world will end in order to make way for the new one. Time Magazine looked at apocalyptic theology, and declared that religious "scholars" tend to treat this area as a sociological tradition.  "They see End Times interest rising and falling on waves of cataclysm and calm. Masses of people became convinced the end was nigh when Rome was sacked in 410, when the Black Death wiped out one-third of the population of 14^th century Europe, when the tectonic shudders of the Lisbon earthquake in 1755 caused church bells to ring as far away as England, and certainly after 1945, when for the first time human beings harnessed the power to bring about their total destruction, not an act of God, but an act of mankind." (“Apocalypse Now," Time Magazine, June 23, 2002)

In Bellamy's Looking Backward 2000 - 1887 he engages us in a prophetic novel about a young Bostonian who is mysteriously transported from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century - from a world of war and want to a world of peace and plenty. Millennially speaking, this ideal parallels the Kingdom of Heaven where the land of milk and honey provides everything peaceful and plentiful without worry, sickness or strife. "Only a century has passed," [Dr. Leete] answered, "but many a millennium in the world's history has seen changes less extraordinary." (ch. 4) As far as transforming the plot through the introduction of millennialism Looking Backward depends on an alternative "post-millennial" millennialism that is a tradition in liberal American Christianity-less about Judgment Day, more about establishment or fulfillment of Kingdom of God on Earth, America as "New Jerusalem". The passage connotes an extraordinary change never experienced before. Additionally, the impact of Looking Backward on history was that it was a publishing sensation, discussion groups were formed and it's always a good thing when there is continuity in discussions with regard to utopian texts.

Millennialism in Herland's creation story on the other hand, depended on violent apocalyptic narrative. A massive volcano, a series of wars, etc. left the women to fend for themselves and included one very important supernatural method for procreativity. "One family all descended from one mother!" (59).  With the reintroduction of men into their society after 2,000 years of no-man's land Herland, as Brouke stated in her presentation, "enters into another apocalyptic experience with the arrival and new enterprise of engaging into relationships with men they begin to end or at least modify the system of parthenogenesis that they've known and enter into a "New Motherhood." This example is another supporting concept of the essentiality of millennialism. Moreover, there is a high interest level in the novel because of Gilman's depiction of male psychology in reaction to women in power.

Conventions of Utopian Fiction: An Acquired Taste

Focused: ComboTopics B3a./c.

In all fairness, Callenbach did one hell of a job in his Ecotopian concoction. Maybe at times pressed for something to say and in a moment's notice he threw in some page fillers just to be able to say he touched on the topic. Nonetheless, he was the only author of the generic conventions of utopian fiction we covered in the seminar that really seemed to have a good time in developing his ideal or intentional community. There are ecotopian concepts built into Herland to consider however. Both Ecotopia and Herland involve ecology and feminism in a word, "eco-feminism" which is a hybrid word of "ecological feminism" or "environmental feminism." They both have the "Garden of Eden" feature as far as the setting. In both novels people desire to be one with nature and even in More's Utopia he talks about the Utopian idea of pleasures in life, virtues, and their idea that what is best is what is right by Nature. (54) The fact that he capitalized Nature here, suggests elements of the sublime - always a bonus in fiction narrative. This follows along with the Utopian idea that all have a level of equality. In contrast, whereas in Ecotopia everything is recycled including garbage Herland on the other hand, is void of poverty, war, and even garbage.  "The useful, pleasant aspects of nature have been encouraged to flourish, and the aggressive, wasteful elements have been bred out. The women have gently forced nature to cooperate." Depiction of the garden imagery is prevalent here.

Another important consideration to reflect upon is the comparison of some consistent utopian themes within the two novels, like with "status quo" of capitalism, nationalism, etc. We should also address how well they work as entertaining fiction as opposed to didactic literature. First of all, Ecotopia immediately announces that it's in a tradition of literary utopias in the "Times-Post announcement [that] at last William Weston will be spending the next six weeks in Ecotopia.. . ..sending Weston on this unique and difficult investigative assignment in the conviction that a candid, on-the-spot assessment of Ecotopia is essential-20 years after its secession.. . ..Ecotopia - a part of the world once near, dear and familiar to us, but closed off and increasingly mysterious during its decades of independence." The goal of international affairs is to gain an understanding of the social constructs of Ecotopia in order to benefit the cause of international good relations. In other words, America as usual, wants to exercise a capitalistic closer examination of the demarcation of commerce. Meanwhile, though there is an interest in learning, lots of questioning, diaries, news reports etc. it moves itself along pretty well from didactic literature to entertaining fiction.  There is also a sense of New Urbanism developed in Ecotopia as Yvonne pointed out in her historical presentation, Alviso streets mentioned on page 27 and they bring groceries home in string bags or bicycle baskets. There are lots of bicycles no automobiles because of the air pollution and other toxins that the Ecotopians avoid and there is an entire population within half mile of the transit station, many small park-like places, and no large paved areas exposed to the sun. This sounds like a really nice place to be especially after Yvonne showed us pictures of the New Urbanism.

All things considered there are some quirky-guilty pleasures of reading utopian fiction. Ecotopia was a close second to Herland as my favorite of the seminar and it's because of the never - never land experience of both novels. It also works for me because of its fantasy, romance, adventure I travel narrative elements. Easy to read, good story lines and continuity and yet enough left unsaid for the imagination of the reader to fill in. Though Callenbauch dropped us off blindly in many areas, unable to accurately connect the plot dots at all times. Particularly the chapter on 'Race in Ecotopia' where he very briefly deals with the blacks as a group who seem to want to be in the ghetto and welcome in many ways deprivation - he calls it Soul City I call it a quick fix chapter underdeveloped. Nonetheless, he still gets credit for attempting to keep with the plot of the environmental theme as well as the individuality of him discovering his other-self and his later conversion into Ecotopianism and that to me was entertaining. He was able to address several themes: Ecological developments that provided for a stable-state, he combined a type of jungle fever with a 70's swinger-hippie type of love relation; he fixed a religious element of mock crucifixions in it during the war games, as well as made an attempt at segregating blacks all in less than 200 pages. Once Will fully understood thelong-range economic policies, diversification and decentralization of production in each city and region, he is converted and becomes an Ecotopian resident. In short, Callenbauch made the best attempt of including all the aspects of an ideal community that would be closest in relation to the one I would dream up and mine would probably be located in a type Herland that included men so it would be in some ways a combination of the two novels.

As far as the texts measuring up to what I think is quality literature at the graduate level seminar I believe some aspects could be reworked but again, I believe we have to keep in mind the frame of reference from which the authors are creating from and their creativity. More's Utopia was probably in many ways past the graduate level. For me, it was difficult to read and I couldn't stay engaged in the story line. I skipped all over trying to connect to something.  Looking Backward, Anthem and Herland are all centered around the "Progressive Era" and "New Deal era" of the late 19th, early 20th century when 2-3 generations of most "utopian" or socialist progress in United States  governance. This is relevant to how these novels parallel with historical events and goes through 1960's - 70's, when Civil Rights Movement alienates many whites from government activism which is the period Callenbauch wrote Ecotopia. Again, I suggest considering the perspective the author is writing from.  One can only perceive a thing to the extent of their perception.  In the long run, we benefit at the graduate level literature seminar on these utopian texts as well as utopian studies as a whole because we are informed and entertained. By the same token we are engaging each other in discussions throughout the program which enables us to explore creativity for writing our own utopian and other genre related texts.