The aim of this paper is to compare three of the most influential Utopian novels of the Victorian era in Great Britain: William Morris´ News from Nowhere, Samuel Butler´s Erewhon and Edward Bulwer-Lytton´s The Coming Race.
... I will concentrate on a specific aspect which struck me as most interesting. The question I want to pose is in how far the works are still hopeful and positive and how far they are already disillusioned and negative. Do they consider the idea of a utopian and perfect society to be desirable and possible?
I found that Morris’ News from Nowhere is still a classic Utopia as it depicts a hopeful prospect of an ideal state of society, but it also introduces a new notion. A utopian society is not something out of human reach, but can be realised entirely. Morris’ basis was Marx’ theory and he really believed in the possibility of a truly communist and happy nation.
Butler’s work Erewhon should be rather called a satire, as it is mostly a criticism of Victorian society. But still, it uses the frame of a Utopian fiction and therefor also comments on it. From Erewhon can be concluded that mankind is not capable of true improvement and that a perfect system is intolerant and oppressive.
Lytton’s work The Coming Race is a mixture of criticism, offering answers and for the most part a discussion of the perfectibility of men and the desirability of perfection, coming to the conclusion that perfection and the desire for it is rather a threat to mankind.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. William Morris: News from Nowhere; or being some chapters from a Utopian romance (1891)
3. Samuel Butler: Erewhon; or over the range
4. Edward Bulwer-Lytton: The Coming Race
5. Conclusion
Research Objective and Thematic Scope
This paper examines three influential Victorian Utopian novels to determine the extent to which they present a hopeful, positive view of an ideal society versus a disillusioned, negative, or anti-utopian perspective regarding the possibility and desirability of Utopia.
- Comparative analysis of Victorian Utopian literature and its connection to social and natural sciences.
- Evaluation of the concepts of "perfection" and "ideal society" within the works of Morris, Butler, and Lytton.
- Distinction between "true" Utopian fiction and satirical or anti-utopian literature.
- Investigation into how these authors utilize the Utopian framework to critique contemporary Victorian society.
- Assessment of the perceived threat of totalitarianism and loss of individuality in idealized societies.
Excerpt from the Book
William Morris: News from Nowhere; or being some chapters from a Utopian romance (1891)
Morris’ News from Nowhere (NfN) is the only ‘true’ Utopia, because in opposition to Butler and Lytton, it displays an ideal society with all the necessary constituents. It is a positive society with no anti-utopian tendencies, but all the people in ‘Nowhere’ live happily and are free. This makes it a rather old-fashioned example of its kind. But also in comparison to preceding works from older times, it describes a society which could be possible. ‘Nowhere’ is not a place out of reach, but it is the future England, as Morris imagines it after having gone through changes socialists like Marx predicted.
NfN is a time-utopia, i.e. the utopian society is separated from the current society by time, instead of place, as in most of the older Utopian works. The narrator wakes up one morning just where he lives, but about 150 years later. It is London, in England, but it has changed totally. Then he undertakes a journey around the countryside and is amazed because of all the improvements. But the progression is not of a technological kind but a return to pre-industrial times. The countryside resembles some perfected image of the Middle Ages strongly modelled after Morris’ liking of medieval architecture and styles. Morris simply reversed the negative effects of the industrialisation and the progression has been made concerning the well-being and the morality of the people.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Defines Utopianism within the Victorian era and establishes the paper's core objective of comparing three specific novels regarding their view on the feasibility and desirability of a perfect society.
2. William Morris: News from Nowhere; or being some chapters from a Utopian romance (1891): Analyzes Morris' work as a "true" Utopia that utilizes Marxist theories and a post-industrial vision to depict a hopeful, idealized future state of society.
3. Samuel Butler: Erewhon; or over the range: Discusses how Butler employs the Utopian framework primarily as a satirical tool to critique Victorian morality and express skepticism regarding human perfectibility.
4. Edward Bulwer-Lytton: The Coming Race: Examines Lytton's novel as a bridge to modern anti-utopian fiction, highlighting the dangers of total perfection and the inherent intolerance of a "perfect" society toward individuality.
5. Conclusion: Synthesizes the findings, noting that while the three authors share structural similarities as Utopian writers, their messages reflect vastly different intentions ranging from optimistic vision to cynical warning.
Keywords
Victorian Era, Utopian Fiction, News from Nowhere, Erewhon, The Coming Race, William Morris, Samuel Butler, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Anti-Utopianism, Perfectionism, Satire, Social Criticism, Industrialization, Ideal Society, Totalitarianism
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research paper?
The paper focuses on three influential Victorian-era Utopian novels—William Morris's "News from Nowhere", Samuel Butler's "Erewhon", and Edward Bulwer-Lytton's "The Coming Race"—to analyze their depictions of idealized societies.
What are the central themes explored in these novels?
Central themes include the tension between existing society and imagined ideals, the impact of scientific progress, the desire for social perfectibility, and the inherent risks of authoritarianism in perfect systems.
What is the primary research question?
The author seeks to investigate to what degree these Victorian works are hopeful and positive versus disillusioned and negative, specifically questioning if these authors consider a perfect, utopian society to be both desirable and possible.
Which scientific method is utilized in this paper?
The paper employs a comparative literary analysis, examining the structural frameworks of the novels and their underlying political and social intentions within the specific context of the nineteenth century.
What does the main body of the work cover?
The main body provides individual chapters dedicated to the analysis of each of the three chosen novels, contrasting Morris's idealistic approach with the more critical and satirical perspectives of Butler and Lytton.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The study is characterized by terms such as Utopian Fiction, Victorian Era, Anti-Utopianism, Social Criticism, Perfectionism, and the specific titles of the novels analyzed.
How does Morris’s "News from Nowhere" differ from the other two novels?
Unlike the other authors, Morris presents a genuinely positive and complete Utopian vision, utilizing Marxist theory to argue for the actual possibility of a happy, non-oppressive society.
Why does the author classify "Erewhon" and "The Coming Race" as skeptical towards Utopian ideals?
The author argues that Butler and Lytton use the Utopian setting primarily for satire and criticism, suggesting that human nature is incapable of perfection and that "perfect" systems inevitably become intolerant and oppressive.
- Quote paper
- Silke Bosch (Author), 2004, Utopian Novels in Victorian England, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/139245
