Eternal Utopia: A Study Of The Transmutation Of The British Utopian Literature

The impulse of searching for perfect life in order to survive the miserable real life exists in men ever since the beginning of the human society. It can be seen in various forms of literary writings and hence the formation of the genre of Utopian literature. This literary genre has already penetrated into other realm of ideology and people's practical life. A systematic study of this literary phenomenon is of great necessity and importance.The word "utopia" and the literary genre resulted from the book now known as Utopia (1516) by Thomas More, a British author. Both the man More and the book Utopia provide the basis for many readings, hence the conscious imitation, creation and study of this literary genre. In the following 500-year history, various forms or subgenres have been used to present ideal societies and reflects the whole range of human experience and desire. Certain forms have been more in favor at particular times, and some have disappeared. The British Utopian literature is, as it were, a mirror image of the British history. Decoding these literary Utopian societies can aid in ensuring a more profound understanding of the British people's attitude to the existing society, of their convictions, expectations and concepts of the future and social ideals.The study of this thesis attempts to treat the British Utopian literature as a ceaseless tradition with invariable core of value but abundant, changeful ways of expression. This dissertation will be a revelation of the transmutation of the British Utopian literature from its origins, its development and its climax to its matureness. The author of the thesis attempts to describe and analyse the differences of the content and form of the works, reveal their relationship with the corresponding religion, philosophy, politics and real social life, and point out the track of transmutation and significance of the human existence as well as its aesthetic value .The study is put to the service of dialectical materialism and historical...