Forms in Early Modern Utopia

The Ethnography of Perfection

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Forms in Early Modern Utopia by Nina Chordas, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Nina Chordas ISBN: 9781351158060
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: November 30, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Nina Chordas
ISBN: 9781351158060
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: November 30, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Though much has been written about connections between early modern utopia and nascent European imperialism, the author brings a fresh perspective to the topic by exploring it through some of the sub-genres that comprise early modern utopia, identifying and discussing each specific form in the cultural and historical contexts that render it suitable for the creation and promulgation of utopian programs, whether imaginary or intended for actual implementation. This study transforms scholarly understanding of early modern utopia by first complicating our notion of it as a single genre, and secondly by fusing our paradoxically fragmented view of it as alternately a literary or social phenomenon. Her analysis shows early modern utopia to be not a single genre, but rather a conglomeration of many forms or sub-genres, including travel writing, ethnography, dialogue, pastoral, and the sermon, each with its own relationship to nascent imperialism. These sub-genres bring to utopian writing a variety of discourses - anthropological, theological, philosophical, legal, and more - not usually considered fictional; presented in a humanist guise, these discourses lend to early modern utopia an authority that serves to counteract the general contemporary distrust of fiction. The author shows how early modern utopia, in conjunction with the authoritative forms of its sub-genres, is not only able to impose its fictions upon the material world but in doing so contributes to the imperialistic agendas of its day. This volume contains a bibliographical essay as well as a chronology of utopian publications and projects, in Europe and the New World.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Though much has been written about connections between early modern utopia and nascent European imperialism, the author brings a fresh perspective to the topic by exploring it through some of the sub-genres that comprise early modern utopia, identifying and discussing each specific form in the cultural and historical contexts that render it suitable for the creation and promulgation of utopian programs, whether imaginary or intended for actual implementation. This study transforms scholarly understanding of early modern utopia by first complicating our notion of it as a single genre, and secondly by fusing our paradoxically fragmented view of it as alternately a literary or social phenomenon. Her analysis shows early modern utopia to be not a single genre, but rather a conglomeration of many forms or sub-genres, including travel writing, ethnography, dialogue, pastoral, and the sermon, each with its own relationship to nascent imperialism. These sub-genres bring to utopian writing a variety of discourses - anthropological, theological, philosophical, legal, and more - not usually considered fictional; presented in a humanist guise, these discourses lend to early modern utopia an authority that serves to counteract the general contemporary distrust of fiction. The author shows how early modern utopia, in conjunction with the authoritative forms of its sub-genres, is not only able to impose its fictions upon the material world but in doing so contributes to the imperialistic agendas of its day. This volume contains a bibliographical essay as well as a chronology of utopian publications and projects, in Europe and the New World.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book National Traditions in Nineteenth-Century Opera, Volume II by Nina Chordas
Cover of the book Changing Transatlantic Security Relations by Nina Chordas
Cover of the book Moral Agendas For Children's Welfare by Nina Chordas
Cover of the book The Veiling Issue, Official Secularism and Popular Islam in Modern Turkey by Nina Chordas
Cover of the book The Economics of U.S. Nonindustrial Private Forests by Nina Chordas
Cover of the book Supporting Boys' Writing in the Early Years by Nina Chordas
Cover of the book Crafting an African Security Architecture by Nina Chordas
Cover of the book Modern Maritime Piracy by Nina Chordas
Cover of the book Democratisation in the 21st Century by Nina Chordas
Cover of the book The China Handbook by Nina Chordas
Cover of the book Thought as a System by Nina Chordas
Cover of the book First Light by Nina Chordas
Cover of the book The New Knowledge Management by Nina Chordas
Cover of the book Anti-Political Establishment Parties by Nina Chordas
Cover of the book The Maritime Labour Convention 2006: International Labour Law Redefined by Nina Chordas
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy