Research on Utopia as a Subgenre
Utopia is hard to secure if it ever can be. Dystopia on the other hand is readily available. The same is the case in the realm of literature and fiction. While dystopian fiction pops up every few weeks, utopian fiction is relatively rare.
Utopia is a term that refers to an ideal or immaculate site, typically one that is fictional. It is usually used to illustrate a society where perfect parity, probity, and pleasure for all people exist. Utopian fiction is a genre of literature that concerns the design and description of such a flawless society. It often explores the social, political, and economic structures of these societies, as well as the obstacles that surface in their production and preservation. Utopian literature and fiction is a subgenre among the many offsprings birthed by speculative fiction.
Utopian literature can take numerous forms, be it in the guise of long narratives, short stories or plays, set in the tomorrow, in an alternate macrocosm, or on a faraway planet. Most utopias are based on the notion of a flawless society. Some also traverse the limits of what is possible and consider what pacts need to be arrived at to achieve a more just and fair society. ‘What if’ and ‘If only’ are the major keynotes that drive conversations in utopian literature ahead. Essentially, utopian literature is social commentary, social reproval of what is and proposition of what could be.
A history of Utopia
The history of utopian literature can be traced back to ancient Greek and Roman literature. The Republic by Plato is regarded by many as one of the first recorded contributions to utopian literature. Thomas More’s homonymous publication Utopia played a major role in shaping the contemporary understanding of the concept, including introducing the terminology. It set the convention against which further works were compared and created the foundation for the future development of this genre. In popular culture, works like Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift, and Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe come to mind, all stories which deal with an ideal society.
Utopian fiction has continued to be a popular trope in literature and other media forms throughout the years. Different works explored different types of utopias, environmental utopias (where there is no climate crisis), social utopias (where societal differences are respected and cherished than condemned), administrative utopias (where governmental bodies aren't self-serving and corrupt, rather they work for people’s welfare) and many others.
Its Changing Reception by Audiences
Utopian fiction attracted readers by allowing them to explore ideas about social and political reform. The imaginative and speculative nature of the genre also appealed to many. It was also an avenue to escape from the quandaries of one’s world, finding reassurance in the idea of a finer, more refined society.
But it is interesting to look at how people’s perceptions of the trope changed with time. In the early parts of the twentieth century, utopia was a positive and hopeful vision of the time ahead, closely associated with the paradigms of progress and modernity. Commonly depicted as a technologically evolved society (the Star Trek verse for example), this world had resolved problems of penury, polarity and prejudice. It was a society where people lived in harmony with one another and with nature.
Towards the later part of the century, critics and experts grew more sceptic towards this concept, raising questions about how practical and desirable such a society is. With the advent of two world wars and changing social and political contexts, anti-utopia - which is different from dystopia, it describes a utopian society with terrible consequences - started to gain traction (works like Brave New World or 1984). Utopia started to appear as a fallacious and awry concept. Conversations around how the quest for an ideal and perfect society has the potential of robbing humans of their inherent instincts started taking centre stage.
Today, the reception of utopian fiction persists to be intermixed. Some people are still drawn to the idea of an ideal society and the hope that it symbolises, while others are more sceptical and critical of the concept. The appeal of utopian fiction is also largely dependent on the cultural and political milieu in which it is viewed, in addition to the individual reader's personal appeals and values. While changing socioeconomic situations welcomed feminist utopias and post-colonial utopias in the late 1980s, the popularisation of capitalism led to a rise in financial utopias promoting lifestyles which could be achieved by championing capitalism. The twenty-first century saw multiple teen and young-adult utopias.
Headways in literary theories coupled with changes in cultural and political contexts the world over brought about an evolution of research on utopia as a subgenre. While some scholars focused on the historical and cultural context of utopia, inquiring how the concept had developed over time, being shaped by disparate political and philosophical movements. Others explored the erudite and elegant dimensions of utopia, examining how different forms of media represented it, and how it motivated the artistic works of artists, authors, and filmmakers.
Themes Explored in the Utopian Subgenre
The subgenre of utopia explores a range of themes. Many creations of utopian fiction try to achieve social and political reform, and probe ideas about how society can be enhanced and rectified in order to devise a more impartial world. This is achieved either by envisioning fresh forms of administration, economic techniques, or social associations that are designed to address problems like deprivation and disproportion. Some among them also examine the probable inadvertent repercussions of social and political reform or scour the ways in which utopia may not be attainable or convenient for all people. Showcasing the perils of excessive compliance and the subduction of individuality in a utopian society Some diagnose the nature of happiness in a utopian setting, reconnoitring ideas about what drives people’s happiness, and how a society can be assembled in a way that fosters contentment and welfare for all its constituents.
Utopia in the East and the West
Most works of utopian literature came from the western world. As a result, most of them are Christian, stratified and anthropocentric. Non-western traditions of utopia were often overlooked. This led to a specific understanding of utopia in popular culture. A society of technological advancements, where humans continue to enjoy a life of contentment while being in a state of equality.
But if one were to look at concepts of utopia from the east, be it in Chinese, Indian, Buddhist or Islamic history, one finds utopia to be a situation one arrives at much later in life - after death. Utopia becomes a state one arrives at after continually giving up on various attachments, including one's own body after a level. Elements of religion, spirituality and ecocentrism swarm the understanding of a utopian setting in eastern philosophy.
The Intersection between Utopian Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Social Commentary
A subgenre of speculative fiction, utopian fiction is closely related to its other genres, such as science fiction and fantasy, which also deal with the questioning of auxiliary worlds and futures. Utopian fiction often adopts integrants and conventions from these other genres, such as fictitious societies, visionary technologies, and marvellous creatures. While some Utopias may envision scientific revolution as an important facet of their conceived societies, it would be problematic to characterise the result as science fiction, to the extent that nothing that truly transpires in either narrative is in any way impacted by the fact.
Science fiction is hardly about science, but rather the philosophy of it. Its uses and misuses. It allows us to form thought experiments where we examine our world and think of ways to improve it. A better world even if not a utopic one.
Some scholars view the relationship between utopian literature and science fiction as a tricky and troublesome one. While the two do tend to coincide, their starting points are quite distinct. While Thomas More’s Utopia seems like the axiomatic origin of utopian fiction, Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein is most commonly considered one of the earliest elementary texts for science fiction.
Even though utopian fiction is frequently coupled with social commentary, as it usually addresses subjects associated with social and political amendments and envisions ways in which our civilisation could be enhanced, studying and reviewing modern-day society and its nuisances, it does not restrict itself to it. Although they borrow from and decussate with other genres of speculative fiction, what makes utopian fiction unique is its emphasis on the creation of an ideal society as its primary theme.
Utopia and Dystopia - Two sides of the same coin and why Dystopia as a subgenre is more à gogo than Utopia
When one looks at the works of utopian literature, it becomes fairly evident that all utopias are in some ways dystopias. Rather, utopia gains value as a scenario due to the existence of dystopia. In the absence of dystopia, utopia would not matter. Striving towards a better world than their dystopian version is what gives utopia its allure. Not all utopias can be relied upon, and not all dystopias insinuate a dedication towards the formation of a more promising future. Most dystopias aren't the antithesis of utopias but rather a utopia that has gone wrong, or a utopia that works only for a single segment of society.
A lot of thought and imagination goes into creating an ideal society, and it can be challenging to come up with a believable and compelling vision of a utopian society. Additionally, the absence of conflict and struggle in a utopian society may make for less interesting and engaging storytelling. As mentioned earlier, as utopic settings operate under strict rules, it doesn’t generally provide humans with room to act on their instincts. Dystopian settings on the other hand provide enough wiggle room for writers to experiment with the black, white and grey elements of human nature. Dystopic worlds provide more opportunities for conflicts and resolution which gives characters an impetus to move forward and the story a purpose.
Utopia in Academic Disciplines
As utopias have generally been products of the minds of intellectuals and bibliophiles, expectedly, since the inception of the concept during the Renaissance, it has warranted a fair amount of academic attention. Ideal and planned societies have been imagined, written about and discussed by academics and fiction writers ever since. H. G. Wells stated that ‘the creation of utopias – and their exhaustive criticism – is the proper and distinctive method of sociology’. He focussed quite a lot on how utopia and sociology are complementary. A futurist himself, he contributed a lot to the academic understanding and dealing of utopia, how it won't be static in case of excessive technological advancements and the uncertain progress that kind of advancement brings with it.
While literature studies have always discussed utopian and dystopian literature in depth, the disciplines of philosophy, sociology, and even artificial intelligence and machine learning have dived deep into academic readings of utopian work and their repercussions and how their work can accelerate or decelerate it.
Power of Utopia as a Subgenre
Literature is a fantastic avenue for us to go through others’ experiences, empathise with them and understand them. There is a long history of exposing people to fiction to inculcate their empathy for others. One of the primary prerogatives of utopian fiction is that it empowers its consumer to inspect and conceptualise alternative futures and societies that diverge from the world we presently inhabit.
This can be a cogent course of action to challenge the readers' beliefs about what is achievable and to inspire them to think about social and political issues in clever and captious ways. Like most fiction, utopian fiction is also pertinent as it can operate as an embryo of inspiration and hope for those who are seeking strategies to create a better world. By presenting positive visions of the future, utopian fiction can invigorate readers to think about what they can do to make a difference and to work towards creating a more just and egalitarian society.
Conclusion
Utopias are entrenched in circumstances from which they emanate a purpose and importance. As a medium for hypothesis, arbitration, and inventiveness, narrative utopia echoes the occurrences of its times, incorporating its culture's connection to the past. In conclusion, utopia as a subgenre offers a fresh outlook on the prospect of a fairer society. By inquiring about hypothetical worlds and societal structures, utopias provide a space for critical thinking and the development of different imaginations of the future. While already in abundance, it has witnessed a varied reception and acceptance by the masses, having to reinvent itself based on the socio-political zeitgeist of the times.
Image courtesy: Serhii Tyaglovsky via Unsplash
Liked what you read? Share it with someone who would like it too!