The Utopia Reader

by Gregory Claeys (Editor), Christie Anne Farnham, Lyman Tower Sargent

Utopian literature has given voice to the hopes and fears of the human race from its earliest days to the present. This anthology encompasses the whole spectrum and history of utopian writings, from the Old Testament, Plato's Republic, Sir Thomas More's Utopia and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four to the present day. The editors' aim is to demonstrate the various ways in which utopias have been used throughout history as veiled criticism of existing conditions, and to provide a portrait of civilization's persistent need to imagine and construct ideal societies.

Genres: History, Utopia, School, Philosophy, Textbooks, Literature, Read For School

434 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Gregory Claeys was born in France and educated in Canada and the United Kingdom. He has taught in Germany and the United States and is now Professor of the History of Political Thought at Royal Holloway, University of London.

Reviews

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent selections from the Utopian tradition.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Giving a thorough overview of what "social dreaming" can accomplish, Claeys' introductions to utopias ranging from Plato all the way to the 'future' of "social dreaming" allow for a distinct and clear overview. As it is a reader, it gives little room for critical interpretation by the editor, but that in turn allows the reader to go in blind and make up their minds without too much influence.

[Ken]

This books counts bruh I do not care. I read too many damn utopias for this not to count toward my reading goal

[sologdin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slick presentation of the long history of the utopian subgenre, including much ancient & medieval selections. Loses focus in the 20th century, which is more devoted to the mass production of multiple dystopias, usually in the service of cold war politics.

Used it for an undergraduate course, and it thoroughly annoyed the students, especially since the early selections are expressly religious, which offended the teabaggers who somehow made it into college. So, that's a plus.

[Marlana Portolano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I use this book when I teach my college world lit class on utopias and dystopias in Western lit. It's a good introduction to the subject through very short excerpts, but don't expect to find whole works here.

[Susan Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to some of the finest Utopian literature. These were written in times when our world was a desirable one so the stories are quite interesting to read. Gives you quite a bit to think about.

[Pru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bellamy !!!!

[Mary Overton]

From Biblical Eden to Ursula LeGuin's Odon, with all sorts of paradises in between -- Ovid's Golden Age, where untilled earth produces corn, milk arrives in rivers, and honey drips from the holmoak tree. Prester John's magic spring which allows a man to remain age 32 however long he might live. The land of Cockaigne where the jolly people drink only wine because "Water serveth there no thing/ but for sight and for washing." Thomas More's UTOPIA (which started the Utopian genre) where "none of their cities may contain above six thousand families" and "they have no lawyers" considering them "as a sort of people whose profession it is to disguise matters." Samuel Butler's amazing parody contains the "Colleges of Unreason" where the word "idiot" is defined as "a person who forms his opinions for himself." The 19th century Shakers live in celibacy and dance like crazy to release sexual tension, yet their neighbors at Oneida practice "complex marriage," every man married to every woman. Then there are the dystopias, my favorite being Zamiatin's WE, living total transparency in their glass houses.

[haileyੈ✩‧₊˚ · Rating 1 out of 5]

ੈ✩‧₊˚ utopia reader ੈ✩‧₊˚ gregory claeys ੈ✩‧₊˚
1★ ੈ✩‧₊
what class it was for: utopian literature

writing style: 2★
content: 4★
structure: 4★
impact/relevance: 2★
clarity: 2★
enjoyment: 0★

loved:
‧₊˚ short and sweet excerpts
‧₊˚ loved the diverse range of topics- really shows that a utopia isn’t a set in stone idea

hated:
‧₊˚ very long, would’ve rather had multiple shorter textbooks
‧₊˚ would’ve helped if there was an explanation for some if not all the excerpts
‧₊˚ lack of diversity in the authors

overall review:
‧₊˚some of these passages/excerpts i really enjoyed reading for my class. some of the older ones in the beginning were kind of difficult for me to understand just because of the style they were written in. although the range of topics was diverse- the authors the excerpts were taken from were not: mostly white men. served it’s purpose for the class but would never in a million years read another page from this.

[Traci · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this for a recent course on Utopian theory in literature. It was a nice anthology of excerpts of collected utopian and dystopian works throughout the centuries. I have to admit that the early chapters with excerpts from Plato's Republic and Sir Thomas More's Utopia were yawn-inducing. However, the reading became interesting once we started reading about early utopian societies in America and also excerpts from Gulliver's Travels. I'm glad that my professor also chose to implement our class with novels on utopian/dystopian themes, too.

[Terri Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Slow,plodding and dull- I had to read it for a graduate seminar and struggled to stay awake. This covers different ideas about what a utopia should be from ancient times to the 20th century. I have a hard time thinking of any of them being my idea of a utopia but if you are a sexist, racist, homophobic white guy, you would love it. Or at least most of it.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

But what I want to know is: Where is my damn utopia?!?

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great anthology of utopian texts from the classical period onwards.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read part of the book for a class, but I had already bought it. I finished reading the anthology after the class. I did enjoy the various utopian ideas!

[Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best I've come across

[Mills College Library]

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