From Nowhere: Utopian and Dystopian Visions of our - Chris J. Young
From Nowhere: Utopian and Dystopian Visions of our - Chris J. Young
From Nowhere: Utopian and Dystopian Visions of our - Chris J. Young
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Case Two: Voyage <strong>and</strong> Discovery<br />
They live together without king, without government, <strong>and</strong> each<br />
is his own master.... Beyond the fact that they have no church,<br />
no religion <strong>and</strong> are not idolaters, what more can I say?<br />
They live according to nature.<br />
Amerigo Vespucci, Mundus novus<br />
The conviction that we can j<strong>our</strong>ney to faraway l<strong>and</strong>s, uncharted isl<strong>and</strong>s, <strong>and</strong> worlds beyond <strong>our</strong> atmosphere<br />
is an integral element <strong>of</strong> the concept <strong>of</strong> utopia. Whether we are travelling to Jonathan Swift’s isl<strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Houyhnhnms, Bob Kane’s Gotham City, or Ursula K. le Guin’s planet <strong>of</strong> Gethen, the notion <strong>of</strong> voyages into<br />
the unknown is very prominent. The themes <strong>of</strong> voyage <strong>and</strong> discovery were not new when More constructed<br />
his isl<strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> Utopia. Thous<strong>and</strong>s <strong>of</strong> years ago Homer told tales <strong>of</strong> voyages to mythical isl<strong>and</strong>s in the Iliad <strong>and</strong><br />
Odyssey that have captivated readers <strong>and</strong> storytellers ever since. <strong>From</strong> the time <strong>of</strong> Homer, there have been<br />
tales <strong>of</strong> missions, expeditions, <strong>and</strong> voyages to distant l<strong>and</strong>s beyond the limits <strong>of</strong> maps <strong>of</strong> the known world.<br />
Some <strong>of</strong> these early j<strong>our</strong>neys are documented in stories that tell <strong>of</strong> magical creatures, fabulous treasures, <strong>and</strong><br />
peoples whose culture <strong>and</strong> practices were so alien to visitors, that they were perceived to be non-human.<br />
Such voyages into the unknown ignited the imaginations <strong>of</strong> their readers <strong>and</strong> inspired future writers.<br />
7. Nova typis transacta navigatio.<br />
22 Case Two: Voyage <strong>and</strong> Discovery
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