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"This is an excellent book. Its focus on 'lived utopianism' and concern with contemporary movements such as ecological intentional communities is especially relevant in a time of widespread political and economic discontent."
--Florence Boos, University of Iowa "Beautifully clear and coherent, and enlivened by touches of humor,
The Last Utopians illuminates the unique contributions of Bellamy, Morris, Carpenter, and Gilman and makes a persuasive case for the continuing value of their work. The book should appeal to a wide range of readers who are interested in history, literature, and politics, as well as the development of feminism and gay liberation."
--Naomi Jacobs, University of Maine
About the author
Michael Robertson
Summary
The entertaining story of four utopian writers—Edward Bellamy, William Morris, Edward Carpenter, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman—and their continuing influence today
In this lively literary history, Michael Robertson introduces readers to a vital strain of utopianism that seized the imaginations of four American and British writers during an extraordinary period of literary and social experiment. The publication of Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward in 1888 opened the floodgates to an unprecedented wave of utopian writing. William Morris, the Arts and Crafts pioneer, was a committed socialist whose News from Nowhere envisions a workers' Arcadia. Edward Carpenter boldly argued that homosexuals constitute a utopian vanguard. Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a women's rights activist and the author of "The Yellow Wallpaper," wrote numerous utopian fictions, including Herland, a visionary tale of an all-female society. These writers believed in radical gender and class equality, envisioning new forms of familial and romantic relationships, and were committed to living a simple life rooted in a restored natural world. And their legacy remains with us today, from Occupy Wall Street to the Radical Faeries.
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"One of Choice Reviews' Outstanding Academic Titles of 2018"
