Eighteenth-Century Utopian Fiction

Utopian fiction was a particularly rich and important genre in the eighteenth century. It was during this period that a relatively new phenomenon appeared: the merging of utopian writing per se with other fictional genres, such as the increasingly dominant novel. However, while early modern and nineteenth- and twentieth-century utopias have been the focus of much attention, the eighteenth century has largely been neglected. Utopian Imagination and Eighteenth-Century Fiction combines these two major areas of interest, interpreting some of the most fascinating and innovative fictions of the period and locating them in a continuing tradition of utopian writing which stretches back through the Renaissance to the Ancient World.
Beginning with a survey of the recurrent topics in utopian writing - power structures in the state, money, food, sex, the role of women, birth, education and death - the book brings together canonical eighteenth-century texts containing powerful utopian elements, such as Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver's Travels and Rasselas, and less familiar works, to examine the reworking of these topics in a new context. The unfamiliar texts, including Gaudentio di Lucca, are described in detail to give students an idea of relevant material across a broad area. A section is devoted specifically to women writers, an area which has become a focus of attention. The mixture of texts provides a useful cross-reference for students tackling the subject from various perspectives and the comprehensive bibliography provides a valuable tool for those with general or specific interests.
Utopian Imagination and Eighteenth Century Fiction will be of interest to students of Eighteenth-Century Literature and Culture, Travel Writing, Utopian Literature and Women's Studies at all levels.

Christine Rees is Lecturer in English at King's College, University of London.