Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-2006

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

English

Major Professor

Allen Dunn

Committee Members

Heather Hirschfeld, Alisa Schoenbach

Abstract

This thesis traces the development of utopian literature through the lens of the liberal-communitarian debate. As Jürgen Habermas asserts, utopian thought plays a vital role in the positive development of society. Habermas also observes that utopian energies are failing in modern society and that this limits our ability to achieve an affirmative community. I agree with Habermas’s assessment and therefore here I examine literary representations of utopia with the hope that utopian energies can be revived. As I argue here, literary utopias can inspire and guide us towards positive societal change. In chapter one, I examine the utopias of the early modern period, focusing specifically on Thomas More’s Utopia. Here I reveal that More’s special insight is the concept of artificial scarcity which he believes forces men to accept inequitable social structures. These structures in turn, prevent humanity from reaching its full potential. Therefore, better institutions will improve humanity. In the following chapter, I investigate Karl Marx’s Manifesto of the Communist Party as well as his earlier philosophies as they appear in The Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844 and the German Ideology. Here I look at the way Marx’s theory that humanity’s consciousness is determined by his material existence affects his vision of utopia. From this we learn that humanity cannot be separated from social institutions. Finally, in chapter three, I explore the arguably dystopian Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Here I claim that the novel is in fact, in rand’s conception, a capitalist utopia. In the world of this novel, the individual is valued above all else which leads to the destruction of community. Rand, however, argues that the partial destruction of society is necessary in order for the elite to form a true collectivity. Although I cover a wide range of texts covered in this study, through it we see that the search for utopia is actually a search for true collectivity. I argue that although past attempts to reach this collectivity have failed, Habermas’s theory of communicative action is inclusive enough to account for the diversity of modernity.

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