Utopias

[Polednice]

I'm generally unfamiliar with utopias and dystopias as genres, though I'm about to delve into Francis Bacon's New Atlantis, which is a distinctly scientific view of optimism. Although I'm inexperienced, it seems that dystopias are far more common in literature. I imagine it may be because utopias are more likely to read like proposals, while dystopias have the dysfunction necessary to a story, but take it to an extreme.

Can you recommend any utopian novels?

[PeterL]

Thomas More wrote Utopia.

Utopian literature is rather specific. It involves describing ideal societies, and there have been many written. The City of the Sun by Campanella, New Atlantis by Bacon, and even Voyage to the Moon and Voyage to the Sun by de Bergerac. More recently people have been more subtle in describing ideal societies, so their books aren't always described as Utopian. There is a fairly good list on wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Utopian_novels
An interesting list. It includes Island by Huxley, which is Utopian until the ending where it is invaded.

Dystopian novels are less well defined, and anything that is pessimistic can be included.

[Polednice]

Ah yes, sorry - I did mean New Atlantis; I've got a book with Bacon and More so got confused. :p Thanks for the suggestions. :)

[IntravenousJava]

Although not on the scale of Utopia or New Atlantis, Dostoevsky's Dream of a Ridiculous Man is at least worth considering.

On the flip side, though not specifically dystopian by design, Antony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange is close enough. Likewise, an entire group of similarly-themed works including but not limited to 1984 by George Orwell, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut.

[Dark Muse]

Although not on the scale of Utopia or New Atlantis, Dostoevsky's Dream of a Ridiculous Man is at least worth considering.

I am not generally all that in to Utopia's myself, so I have not read the first two books mentioned, but I can say that I thought that Dreams of a Ridiculous Man was an excellent story. Though I am bit bias where Dostoevsky is concerned.

What about Candide by Voltaire as another possibitly for a Utopia?

[Venerable Bede]

What about Candide by Voltaire as another possibitly for a Utopia?

Voltaire presents a view of the world that is chaotic and downright absurd though, so I wouldn't think Candide would be a particularly good qualifier for utopia. Unless you are referring to the specific part in El Dorado which is essentially a utopia.

[Dark Muse]

Voltaire presents a view of the world that is chaotic and downright absurd though, so I wouldn't think Candide would be a particularly good qualifier for utopia. Unless you are referring to the specific part in El Dorado which is essentially a utopia.

As I have said I have not much experience with utopias and I was unsure of this one would qualify but I was thinking mostly of the character of Canidie himself, and his rather optimistic view point on life and the fact that he seems to represents a utopian philosophy/outlook

[Sir Lord Oliver]

Walden Two by B. F. Skinner.