Literature
The Utopian Blueprint in “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”
In “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”, Le Guin does not follow the conventions of the classic utopia and allows the reader to make speculations about a different world. […]
Professor Pamela Bedore
Literature
Understanding the Genre of Le Guin’s “Omelas”
A story like “Omelas” is valuable to utopian and dystopian critics alike because it allows the reader to determine whether it is a utopia or a dystopia. […]
Literature
Understanding Popular Literature—What Does “Genre” Mean?
Genre is a surprisingly slippery term, but it’s actually a pretty complicated idea. Gain a better a understanding of not only how genre works but also how it can open up our understanding of utopian and dystopian literature. […]
The Great Courses Blog
My Experience With Ursula K. Le Guin
When I was a young graduate student, I wrote an essay on one of the first short stories Ursula K. Le Guin ever published, a wonderful story about human cloning called “Nine Lives.” She published the story in Playboy in 1968, under the gender-neutral name, U.K. Le Guin. This was the beginning of my adoration for one of the most influential science fiction authors in America. […]
Literature
Reality Through the Lens of Dystopian Literature: The Torch Podcast
Examine the parallels surrounding the intersection of Utopian and dystopian works of literature and our cultural moment in time. […]
British Literature
H. G. Wells and the Quest for Utopia
Many of H. G. Wells’ science fiction stories contain fantastical utopian overtones. What was the historical impact of including these utopian settings within the context of his writings? And, relatedly, is there a way to see utopia as being inherently part of the science fiction project? […]
Literature
Foundations of Utopian and Dystopian Fiction: The Torch Podcast
Enter the world of utopian and dystopian fiction on this episode of The Torch! […]
New on The Great Courses Plus
Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature
Who are we as a society? Who do we want to be? Who are we afraid we might become? When these questions are framed in the speculative versions of Heaven and Hell on earth, you won’t find easy answers, but you will find tremendously insightful and often entertaining perspectives. […]