The Anti-utopia Theme In Tolstaya’s The Slynx

Russian anti-utopian literature began to develop and flourish in the early1900s.Anti-utopian literature is the variant of the utopian literature, to be more specific, aparody of the utopian literature. It exaggerates the principles espoused by utopia toan extreme, exposing the hypocrisy and absurdity of utopia. Utopian literaturedepicts a harmonious paradise and makes people to look forward to a bright future,while the anti-utopian literature puts people into an eerie hell. Its purpose is notonly to reflect on the history and reality, but also to alarm the future of mankindand remind the human of the disaster we may face in the new century, moreover,to bring the ideological and moral enlightenment for human being.The research object of this thesis is the novel The Slynx, whose author is a veryinfluential Russian postmodern writer---Tatyana Tolstaya. The thesis mainlyanalyzes anti-utopia, which is the theme of this novel. Starting from thedevelopment of Russian anti-utopia literature, this thesis clarifies the relationbetween utopia and anti-utopia in Russian Literature and analyzes the anti-utopiancharacteristics of Russian postmodernism literary. With the anti-technique utopia,totalitarianism and anti-political utopia, and anti-utopian eschatology as thebreakthrough point, this thesis deeply discusses the anti-utopian implication of TheSlynx, digging out the writer’s criticism and negation on the political, economic,cultural, science, technology, and humanitarian development of the Soviet period,and expressing warning and concern about the human’s future. Further, this paperalso points out that this novel has inspirations and significance to Russia’scontemporary reality.