For more than 2,000 years utopian visionaries have sought to create a
blueprint of the ideal society--from Plato to H. G. Wells, from
Cloudcuckooland to Shangri-La. The utopian impulse has generated a vast
body of work, encompassing philosophy and political theory, classical
literature, and science fiction; yet these utopian dreams have often
turned to nightmare, as utopia gives way to its dark reflection,
dystopia. Taking the reader on a journey through these imaginary worlds,
this work charts the progress of utopian ideas from their origins within
the classical world to the rebirth of utopian ideals in the Middle Ages.
Later we see the emergence of socialist and feminist ideas; while the
20th century was to be dominated by expressions of totalitarian
oppression. Today it is claimed that we are witnessing the death of
utopia, as increasingly the ideals that give rise to them are undermined
or dismissed. These arguments are explored and evaluated here, as are
contemporary examples of utopian thought used to demonstrate the
enduring relevance of the utopian tradition.