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An Ambiguous Utopia
Abstract
The article begins with a discussion of some Christian and secular ideas about
utopia. It shows that after the Enlightenment it has become difficult to conceptualize
true utopias while postmodernism has been preoccupied with dystopian
visions of the future. The ambiguous nature of utopianism is reflected particularly
in science fiction, which powerfully reflects contemporary aspirations and
anxieties, and this ambiguity is here explored with special reference to the work
of the novelist Ursula Le Guin.
utopia. It shows that after the Enlightenment it has become difficult to conceptualize
true utopias while postmodernism has been preoccupied with dystopian
visions of the future. The ambiguous nature of utopianism is reflected particularly
in science fiction, which powerfully reflects contemporary aspirations and
anxieties, and this ambiguity is here explored with special reference to the work
of the novelist Ursula Le Guin.