The Last Utopians: Four Late Nineteenth-Century Visionaries and Their Legacy

Description

The entertaining story of four utopian writers-Edward Bellamy, William Morris, Edward Carpenter, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman-and their continuing influence today For readers reared on the dystopian visions of Nineteen Eighty-Four and The Handmaid's Tale, the idea of a perfect society may sound more sinister than enticing. In this lively literar

Michael Robertson is professor of English at The College of New Jersey and the author of two award-winning books, Worshipping Walt: The Whitman Disciples (Princeton) and Stephen Crane, Journalism, and the Making of Modern American Literature. A former freelance journalist, he has written for the New York Times, the Village Voice, Columbia Journalism Review, and many other publications.

"One of Choice Reviews' Outstanding Academic Titles of 2018" "[I]nstructive and touching."---Adam Gopnik, New Yorker "An extremely reliable as well as accessible introduction to the ferment of utopian ideas and practical experiments that . . . made the politics of the late nineteenth century fizz with an almost unprecedented sense of political possibility."---Matthew Beaumont, Times Literary Supplement "In this timely analysis . . . Robertson leaves readers with nourishing food for thought from another era." * Publishers Weekly * "[I]n their time, all four were culture heroes: best-selling authors, popular lecturers, public figures, and objects of veneration and pilgrimage. Michael Robertson, an English professor at the College of New Jersey, has undertaken to tell their story . . . with sympathy and insight."---George Scialabba, Arts Fuse "The Last Utopians is a message in a bottle from an era that looked to the future with optimism."---Robert Greer, History Today "One of the most engaging features of The Last Utopians is the author's determination to personally explore and report on the projects of the 'contemporary partial utopians' who understand that 'utopianism is essential to society, that without it, we're reduced to a resigned acceptance of a morally intolerable status quo.'" * Town Topics * "[Michael Robertson] has a commendably clear and enjoyable literary style. It is always welcome to read a book from an academic press that is written to be understood rather than to impress."---Richard Howells, Times Higher Education "Robertson sees the utopians of today as inheritors of the 'legacy' of his four-as a way, perhaps, of keeping fresh their relevance to our own times, which might otherwise appear to be obscure."---James Bowman, Weekly Standard "A fascinating book."---John Rimmer, Magonia Review of Books "The Last Utopians has arrived at the right time."---Steve Toase, Fortean Times "There is no doubt that Robertson is a talented writer."---Peter J. Maurits, Fantastika