What is Utopianism?
The belief in or pursuit of a perfect society through idealistic visions, often seen in literature.
Utopianism: Chasing Perfection through Literature
In literature, utopianism refers to the pursuit or belief in a perfect society, often exemplified by visions of an idealistic world. Such a society is generally believed to embody the highest ideals of human civilization, a world free of inequality, injustice and suffering. Utopian literature takes many forms, from the classic novel to the more recent young-adult dystopia.
While the concept of utopianism has been prevalent since Plato's Republic, writing literature based on it has only been around since the 16th century. Utopian literature became a popular genre and was seen as an opportunity by writers to criticize their own society through creating an idealized version of life by introducing innovative political, social and economic systems that appear to promote universal happiness.
From Sir Thomas More’s Utopia and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World to Lois Lowry’s The Giver and Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, we see different interpretations of utopianism through literature. Utopianism explores the possibilities and limitations of human imagination, while providing a means of reflecting on the social realities of our lives.
Utopianism has always been an important part of literature, allowing writers the opportunity to imagine and comment on different ways of living and governing society. Here are two examples of how utopianism is portrayed in literature.
Sir Thomas More's classic novel, Utopia, describes an ideal society in which all citizens work together for the common good, with no private property and no crime. More argues that this society could be achieved if people would only follow a set of ethical principles and work together for the common good.
Aldous Huxley's Brave New World presents a dystopian vision of the future in which society is highly regimented and controlled, with no room for individual choice or creativity. Huxley argues that such a society could arise if people were to give up their freedoms in exchange for technological security and material comfort.