Study Of Literary Style On Anti-utopian Literature

Utopia is an enduring theme in the history of Western civilization. Utopian literature has an important position in the history of world literature. At the beginning of 20th century, the rise of anti-utopian literature put forward a challenge to the traditional utopian literature. Scholars generally believe that anti utopian literature is contrary to utopian literature.But in my opinion, that is not exact. This paper will prove that utopian and anti-utopian literature not only deviate from each other but also connected with each other.This thesis consists of four parts.In the first part, it describes the history of utopian literature and anti-utopian literature. And then, it illustrates the researching significance and introduces on-hand researching results and the existing problems. At last, it puts forward the research methods and ideas.In the second part, it discusses the opposite between utopian literature and anti-utopian literature. The opposition is mainly reflected as literary image, the specific performance of new world image, citizen image and image of the hero. Anti utopian literature world built on the opposite of utopian value, thus showing the other aesthetic features. Therefore, dystopia does not come from utopia, on the contrary, they are opposite to each other. The change of citizen image reflects the difference between Carnalism and Asceticism. Utopia praises people’s legitimate desire, but dystopia suppress it. The hero’s differences reflect two different types of writing. Utopia literature ignore character shaping, but anti-utopian literature pay attention to it.In the third part, it discusses the relationship between utopian literature and anti-utopian literature. Anti utopian literature inherits the irony of Thomas More, mainly for verbal irony, context irony and existential irony. And it also inherits the imageries and plots of Edward Bellamy, mainly for the army of production, isolation, the ultimate revolution, the story in future, daily adventure and the redemptive power of love. This part uses the theories of Northrop Frye, Bakhtin, Kierkegaard and Hillis Miller.In the last part, it uses Literary imagination on Politics by Liu Fengjie to interpretate the relationship between utopian literature, anti-utopian literature and politics. It describes that utopian literature and anti-utopian literature are included on the political imagination, but in different forms. Utopian literature is one of Blueprint Utopia, it emphasizes on the design details of reality. Russell Jacoby said that Blueprint Utopia would lead to self paradox. Anti-utopian literature is one of Iconoclastic Utopia, it goes beyond the political specific design of the system, and let the human literature link to the pursuit of a better life directly. Russell Jacoby said Iconoclastic Utopia goes beyond Blueprint Utopia, like anti-utopian literature beyond utopian literature.