Destruction and Reconstruction in Utopia and Science Fiction. The Chance of a New Beginning?
Destruction and Reconstruction in Utopia and Science Fiction. The Chance of a New Beginning?

Summary/Abstract: The patterns of utopian and dystopian narratives have long dominated scholarly discussions of concepts of societal structures in fiction. Over time such visions have become increasingly pessimistic. Many classic 20th century examples have providedfrightening visions of future human societies in which man is subjected to ideological stringencies that involve a fundamental departure from mankind’s historic values and experiences. Science fiction narratives go much further by showing the completedeconstruction of human society and outlining the first steps in the reconstruction process. This paper gives an overview of this development and shows what this “renewal” implies in terms of the portrayal of (new?) social patterns.

• Details
• Contents