POL 440Fall 2003
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POL 440Fall 2003
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Critical Reading in Utopian and Dystopian Literature in Science Fiction |
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The process of reading and discussion in this course are designed to acquaint you with the dimensions and issues concerning politics and literature. The central theme of the course involves the representation of utopian and dystopian societies in science/speculative fiction literature. The concept of utopia or the "ideal state or political community" was first coined by Thomas More in 1516, although More's work has far more satire than practical politics in it. It can be argued that all utopias are science fiction, in that they are exercises in hypothetical sociology and political science. Alternatively, it might be argued that only those utopias which embody some notion of scientific advancement qualify as science fiction. The word "dystopia" is the commonly used antonym of "utopia" and denotes that class of hypothetical societies containing images of worlds worse than our own. An early user of the term was John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), in a parliamentary speech in 1868. Dystopian images are almost invariably images of future society, pointing fearfully at the way the world is supposedly going in order to provide urgent propaganda for change. As the hope for a better future grows, the fear of disappointment inevitably grows with it, and when any vision of a future utopia incorporates a manifesto for political action or belief, opponents of that action or belief will inevitably attempt to show that its consequences are not utopian but horrible (or dystopian). We shall focus on the works of specific science fiction writers who examine the world as it might be from utopian and dystopian points of view. |
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