Assignment

Jenna Zucha

Utopia as a “Literature of Ideas”: The Search for an Ideal World

The conception of utopian literature stems from the human’s need, however futile, for the ideal. Prior to this seminar I regarded utopian literature as a naïve, optimistic, sub-genre to Science Fiction. I considered it something fun to think about, but never to take seriously or expect this perfect world to become a reality. All previous encounters in this area of study led me to believe that a utopian society was as far from reality as an alien inhabited planet in a far-off galaxy. The term, utopia, when broken down by its Greek parts means “no place” or “good place;” this definition alone yields itself to the realm of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Both definitions allude to a “place” that could not possibly exist in reality, but this idea continues to appear in academia, casual discussions, social studies, and popular culture. Perhaps this contradiction in terms might be the separation between the utopia of literature and the Historical utopia of philosophy and education.

 Utopia as a complete functioning world in which every person is an equal member in society working towards a common goal has yet to be obtained, to this extent, anywhere in the world. However, in texts such as Thomas More’s Utopia, Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward, and Gilman’s Herland this fictional world is successfully obtained and functions as a prime example of the ideal that so many seek. Even though the utopian society has yet to be obtained in its complete form in reality, many of the ideas proposed in such texts, when removed from context, have the ability to function in the real world or at least as an attempt for human progress. Instead of discarding these texts as an impossible fabrication it is beneficial to society and future generations to classify utopian literature as more than a “literature of ideas.”(Objective 1C)  The Roman poet, Horace, describes the purpose of literature as a means “to entertain and inform.” This idea works especially well for utopian literature because it alleviates or reconciles the difficulties associated with reading such literature while maintaining a level of entertainment.

               When Thomas More’s Utopia is reviewed merely as a piece of fictional art it disappoints in several areas. The standard conventions or expectations of a novel are compromised in Utopia. (Objective 1A) The reader is expected to suspend pleasure for the purpose of education. The primary tenacity of the novel is to recount the adventures of Raphael Hythloday “from which patterns might be taken for correcting the errors of these nations among whom we live” (More, 1.2). More’s style in Utopia is dominated by the use of dialogue, which is similar to Plato’s Republic, and detailed description of setting.  The descriptions in the piece can be broken down into two categories. The first pertaining to More’s reality, the vile evils England was facing through war, corrupted politics, and the lawlessness of the community, “… ‘for if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this but that you first make thieves and then punish them?’”(More, I.3u). The second category, in contrast to all this, contains vivid images of Utopia in which the primary purpose of any action is to improve the welfare of the State as well as the individual, “In all other places it is visible that, while people talk of a commonwealth, every man only seeks his own wealth; but there, where no man has any property, all men zealously pursue the good of the public” (More, 2.74). The text functions as a platform to describe the horrible aspects of reality while offering a means to discuss change.

The inundation of description without narration within the text is hardly appealing to the majority of readers, but Thomas More attempts to reconcile this lack of fictional development through characterization, setting, and anecdotes. More describes Raphael as a stranger “who seemed past the flower of his age; his face was tanned, he had a long beard, and his cloak was hanging carelessly about him, so that, by his looks and habit, I concluded he was a seaman” (More, I.1c). The savory description of Raphael serves two purposes within the novel: a moment for the readers to connect with the characters and to function as a chronotope of meeting. When More meets Peter Giles and Raphael in the garden it foreshadows the elements of the novel. Bakhtin describes the chronotope of meeting as an element in the novel, in which “Time, as it were, thickens, takes on flesh, becomes artistically visible; likewise, space becomes charged and responsive to the movements of time, plot and history” (84). The meeting of the three men in the garden and More’s acknowledgment of Raphael as a “traveler, or rather a philosopher,” forces the reader to recognize the importance of the moment. The novel as a whole will function as a working philosophy; a culmination of ideas focused on the improvement of humankind. So, even though, Utopia falls short in many standard conventions of fiction the ideas proposed within the text and the modeling of dialogue for social change make up for it.

               Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland continues the tradition of literature as a means to educate and entertain by introducing the elements of romance. Both novels exceed in entertainment where Thomas More’s Utopia has fallen short for educational purposes. In order to create depth in a novel there must be conflict. It is difficult to create conflict and plot development within utopian literature because all major problems and struggles in society have been solved (Objective 5C). To resolve this problem in utopian literature the author may create internal conflict within the visitor to the utopia, or emphasize a relationship between the visitor and a member of the utopia. Looking Backward employs this element of romance through the characters Julian West and Edith Leete. The growing relationship between the two characters is interlaced with the Socratic style dialogue between West and Dr. Leete. This blossoming love helps break up the verbose nature of Dr. Leete’s explanations for the surprising progress of the 20^th Century. The relationship between Edith and Julian may add to the readability of the text, but it cannot cover up the lapse in believability of some aspects of the novel. Bellamy is unable to successfully explain how every single person in this society decided that the work they did was equal to their neighbor’s work even though their neighbor may be below them in intelligence and physical capabilities. Every concern or contradiction that is raised by West is quickly pacified by a “simple” explanation that never quite avails. With this said, Looking Backward might be more of a fictional success compared to Thomas More’s Utopia, but Utopia fosters stronger ideas concerning the philosophy of utopian living.

               Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland seems to exceed as a “literature of ideas” as well as an entertaining piece of fiction. Gilman’s explanations for a working utopia in all areas (education, religion, and motivation) are more believable and functional. One of the primary problems with any utopian society is dealing with the motivation of individuals when property and personal gain are removed from the scenario (Objective 3G). Both Thomas More and Edward Bellamy attempt to solve this problem by explaining that men naturally wanted to improve for the sake of the commonwealth. Dr. Leete explains to Julian West that “the nobler sort of men… such as these find their motives within, not without, and measure their duty by their own endowments, not by those of others” (Bellamy, 85).  It might be difficult for the modern reader to buy into this idea that humans would sacrifice the competitive need of the individual to improve the State or Nation. Herland does a better job of explaining this sacrifice of the individual for the good of the community. At one point in the novel Terry attempts to explain the need for competition in any functioning society when he says, “Competition is the- the motor power, you see,” and he is quickly shot down by Zava, a member of Herland, “It is not with us,… so it is hard for us to understand. Do you mean, for instance, that with you no mother would work for her children without stimulus of competition?” (60). The examples from Looking Backward and Herland both explore the idea of eternal motivation over materialistic motivation, but Gilman actually offers the reader a reason for this selfless act that goes beyond pure will. Along with the functionality of Herland the depth of characterization and relationships elevates this novel above Looking Backward and Utopia. Van’s growing love and understanding of Ellador is endearing and adds depth to the plot of the novel, “She slipped one hand free, and was stroking my hair with it in a motherly way. I bowed my hot head on her shoulder and felt a dim sense of peace” (Gilman, 127). The interaction between the women of Herland and the visiting men offers ideas that could be applied to the global conversation for human progress, and the relationships function as an entertaining read that connects to the audience.

               Progress is clearly evident in the genre of utopian literature through the examination of these three novels, but several problems remain. Kathleen Breaux touches on one of the primary problems that continue to come up in utopian literature in her essay, “Utopia: Ever in Sight, Ever Out of Reach.” Kathleen describes “This natural human desire to pave one’s own fate helps to answer Course Objective 2A, which questions what defines the literary genre of utopias, and what elements and difficulties repeatedly appear.  This inherent human desire to be individual is the most prevalent conflict in utopian literature,” (2009). Ayn Rand’s Anthem highlights this desire for independence and how it might function in a utopian world. Anthem creates the most conflict and therefore, the most entertainment value out of the previously mentioned utopian novels. Anthem combines utopian ideals with the anti-utopian need to be an individual. Towards the conclusion of the novel the protagonist discovers what it means to be proud of one’s achievements, “Yes, we do care. For the first time do we care about our body. For this wire is as a part of our body, as a vein torn from us…Are we proud of this thread of metal, or of our hands which made it, or is there a line to divide these two?” (Rand,66). The novel creates great conflict between the protagonist, Equality 7-2521, and the utopian society he is trying to escape from. Utopia, Looking Backward, and Herland do not explore this idea of the individual within the utopian society; in fact, the idea seems to be suppressed through work, education, and pageantry. Staying true to your identity and participating in a world that focuses on the “we” rather than the “I” is a constant struggle for utopian literature.

Horace explains that “literature concerns ideas, the mind, etc., but less directly. Instead of being analyzed, thoughts or themes are represented through characters, actions, stories.” This concept is evident in Gilman’s Herland and Rand’s Anthem more so than in More’s Utopia and Bellamy’s Looking Backward, but all four novels serve the purpose that seems to motivate all utopian literature. A need to explore, discuss, and create worlds that closely resemble perfection or the ideal. Utopian literature is popular and continues to grow as a genre because people need to exhaust all possibilities of what might function as a perfect world or ideal community as a means to survive and progress. (Objective 3) This investigation of the novels presented in this seminar over utopian literature shows that early works focus on the education and philosophy, a “literature of ideas,” while later and modern texts successfully combine pleasure with purpose.