SF and Utopia, Dystopia and Anti-topia

SF and Utopia, Dystopia and Anti-utopiaUtopiaThe term first appeared in Thomas Mores book Utopia (1516)Ambiguity: eutopia= a good place outopia= no placeThe first utopia: Atlantis

SF and UtopiaSF can only be written between the horizons of utopia and dystopia (Suvin)Both deal with imagining progressive alternatives for the current social conditions and possible future outcomes of those conditionsEvery utopia is SF; important condition: social progress in utopia must be achieved by a technological or scientific discoveryJust, rational and egalitarian societyUtopia in literatureUtopia:Eutopia: a society organized on a more perfect principle than the authors communityvs.Dystopia (cacotopia): a society organized on a less perfect principle than the authors community

Dystopia:Anti-utopia: a dystopia explicitly designed to refute a currently proposed eutopia (socialism closest to utopia, anti-socialism= anti-utopia)Simple dystopia

(Suvin)Utopian romance: offers an image of an ideal society, not criticalUtopian satire: critique of the society in which author lives

Early utopias- romancesThe protagonist dislocated from his imperfect society to a utopian (secular or religious) one:Importance of communal activities and common goodElimination of money and private propertyReason and good will enough for harmony in societySociety described, not directly experienced;No criticism of the society(News from Nowhere)Anti-utopian atmosphereAfter WWII disillusionment, refusal of utopian ideal of societyToo perfect and ideal to be manageable in reality- turns into its opposite dystopiaIdeal but static and boringTyranny of the perfect system over individualSocialism and communismIn medias res- protagonist already lives in the society, it is directly shown, not described(1984, Brave New World)Revival of utopia1960s & 70s feminism, civil rights movements, fight for equality Critical utopia: suggesting a better, but not an ideal world; aware of its flaws, more realistic

(The Dispossessed, Triton)

Platos Republic: 3 classes of people:philosophers- rulers, guardianswarriors- auxiliariesproducers- craftsmen, farmers, etc.

Wells- The First Men in the MoonRomance or satire?Utopia or dystopia?Peaceful perfectly organized Selenites society vs. materialistic aggressive human societyCold inhuman vs. fallible but humanCavor a scientist, enlighten utopian ruling class vs. Bedford- greedy, impulsive, ignorant in science?Orwell and Huxley

Orwells 1984 an anti-utopia; anti-socialismNightmarish vision of future society or hyperbolized image of the contemporary society of 1948-9 when it was publishedTotalitarian state, Big Brother, Newspeak, doublethink, memory control, thoughtcrime, constant warfare, brutality

Huxleys Brave New World seemingly a utopia A different type of totalitarian state:bottle-grown babies, hypnotic persuasion, pre-ordinate class belonging, soma (a drug), sexual freedomA vision of todays postmodern world: consumer society, depthlessness of emotions, hedonism

In common: loss of freedom and individuality, brutally or subtly imposed mind control, totalitarianism, dehumanization, individual sacrificed to the society, technological progress

Burgess-1985Same principle as 1984Anti-utopia and a satireCriticism of both socialism (trade unions) and capitalism (Islamic capital)State in hands of workers; trade unionsBenefit of the society before the benefit of an individual; equality no matter what; language similar to Newspeak; vision of consumer society; non-violent brain washingSimilar to both 1984 and Brave New World

In all three novels an individual rebels against a totalitarian societyNo way for a self-conscious independent individual to survive in such a society- either crushed by the society (1984) or commits suicide (Brave New World, 1985)Le Guin- The Dispossessed: an ambiguous utopiaanarchos= without a leader;Taoist individual anarchism, not violent and chaotic terrorismPeaceful authoritarian society based on solidarity and mutual aid (Le Guin)Based on free will, no one is obliged to do anythingAn individual voluntarily serves the societyEqualityAnarchist Odonian society on Annares:Communal activities very importantNo money or private property (Desar)Language does not express concept of any kind of possessionNo sexual prejudice or limitations, free loveNo surnames, no family houses, everything subordinated to the benefit of entire societyNo government (Sabul)Scientific discovery: Theory of Simultaneity ANSIBLE: a device for interplanetary/intergalactic communication which enables simultaneity despite huge distancesTaoist philosophy of the all-changing changless arrow of sequence as well as the circle of simultaneity (Le Guin)Shevek wants to share it with the whole humanity, Annaresti against it

Paradox within the society: main goal altruistic, to help the others, but refuse to share this discovery with the rest of humanityCRITICAL UTOPIA (Moylan) or FALLIBLE EUTOPIA (Suvin): offering a better but NOT ideal society, aware of its flaws and inconsistenciesPerfectly ordered but barren and wasteland-like Annares vs. buoyant flourishing but materialistic morally corrupted UrrasTaoist anarchism:The order in a society must not be imposed from without; it must come from within;Natural moral by which we distinguish good from bad not predetermined categoriesCan there be only one utopia or each of us has his/her vision of it?Can we synchronize our visions some day into a truly perfect social system Or is utopia a good place that simply does not exist?