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The instinct to seek perfection in human affairs is as old as Western Civilisation; sometimes it is claimed that the perfect society is lost in the past, or is very distant in the future or across the hills, and sometimes utopia is seen as achievable in our own time, by the adoption of a particular political programme. The great strength of John Carey's anthology of utopian writing, though at times also a significant weakness, is that he is highly suspicious of the entire enterprise; it is not insignificant, he implies by careful selection, that one of the first pieces of Utopian writing is Plato's The Republic that, however benevolent its goals, is maintained by a mixture of force and lies and depends on squashing the aspirations of ordinary people. In his useful introduction, he points to some key themes: the production of perfect offspring and keeping them that way by education, the punishment of criminals, and the management of ageing and death. Carey suggests that there are insoluble problems in human life and that utopians tend to falsify them by regarding them as simple. This is a useful anthology, but a dispiriting one--Carey's determination to let no-one off the hook is harsh, but fair. --Roz Kaveney
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Every age has its utopias, from Plato's Republic to contemporary sci-fi visions. In this spellbinding anthology John Carey charts the course of every conceivable dream world - whether communist, fascist, anarchist, green, golden age, techno-fantastic or hermaphroditic - combining a broad historical sweep with lively variety. An experienced and imaginative anthologist, editor of The Faber Book of Reportage and The Faber Book of Science, Carey has gathered together a vast range of texts from Ancient Egypt to modern California, the authors of which, in different ways, attempt to describe a better world than our own.
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful
The FBoU is a very good book so long as you use it as intended. The aim is to give you a taste of the most important utopian literature from the past. Starting from almost 2000bc Carey guides one through Plato, Tacitus all the way through to Orwell and Huxley and beyond while stopping off along the way to consider an eclectic bunch including the Marquis de Sade, Zamyatin and Hitler. Indeed, it is the breadth of this journey which for some will undo the enjoyment of Carey's work.
Buying the book as a means to becoming well read in utopian literature in a short space of time will not work. The book provides excerpts from utopian works, the length of which I often felt were too short to be satisifactory. As a stand alone book, the FBoU does simply does not work. Such criticism is perhaps unfair, as this is not how Carey probably intended the book to be used. Indeed as a first port of call the book is very good. Having read the short extracts one is often left wanting more. This in many ways is a credit to Carey as he provides an introduction to utopian literature that otherwise would be left forgotten.
As a stimulus to further reading I have found few books as good as this, just don't expect to finish reading this book knowing all you would like to about the fascinating genre that is utopian writing.
The other reviews here have pretty much summed up the book. I do however have to add that it's a great book for referencing, or for looking for an authour/story quickly. Each authour is briefly introduced, the main plot and themes laid out, and the extracts provide great quotes. This is great for introductions, conclusions or anything else in an essay/dissertation/work. The index is complete and efficient for finding a useful reference quickly. All in all this book is worth 4£ (if you buy second hand) and is good for quick read as well.
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