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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78. Lewis Carroll (1832–1898). Alice’s Adventures in Wonderl<strong>and</strong>. London:<br />
Macmillan, 1867.<br />
in Alice’s dream <strong>of</strong> Wonderl<strong>and</strong>, the characters constantly present her with challenges to which<br />
there is an underlying threat <strong>of</strong> death throughout. Themes <strong>of</strong> travel, exploration, <strong>and</strong> imaginary<br />
societies are similar to those found in utopian literature such as Gulliver’s Travels. This bizarre dream<br />
world <strong>of</strong> talking animals, living playing cards, <strong>and</strong> mythical creatures has been seen as a satire <strong>of</strong><br />
Victorian society. This was evident when Alice is ordered to leave the c<strong>our</strong>t because <strong>of</strong> rule fortytwo,<br />
‘All persons more than a mile high leave the c<strong>our</strong>t.’ in protest, Alice refuses to leave since she<br />
is not a mile high, <strong>and</strong> is about to be killed by the playing cards when her sister wakes her from this<br />
surreal j<strong>our</strong>ney down the rabbit hole. The image displayed shows these final moments in the story<br />
when the cards rise in the air to attack her. When Alice finally awakes she exclaims to her sister<br />
‘Oh, i’ve had such a curious dream!’<br />
79. J. K. Rowling. Harry Potter <strong>and</strong> the Deathly Hallows. 2007.<br />
Set in a world where magical folk live in a secret society hidden from <strong>our</strong> own, the Harry Potter<br />
novels are among the most popular <strong>and</strong> influential children’s books <strong>of</strong> modern times. in this<br />
final installment, society <strong>and</strong> government have been overrun by the dark Lord Voldemort <strong>and</strong> his<br />
followers. The murder <strong>of</strong> muggles (non-magical people) <strong>and</strong> mudbloods (those <strong>of</strong> mixed magic-<br />
<strong>and</strong> muggle-descent) has become widespread. in response the new government arrests those that<br />
have non-magical backgrounds or sympathies. Parallels to the regimes <strong>of</strong> Nazi Germany <strong>and</strong> the<br />
Soviet Union, which interned Jews, communists, <strong>and</strong> their sympathizers in concentration camps<br />
<strong>and</strong> gulags, are strikingly used throughout the novel. Phrases such as ‘pure blood,’ implying a<br />
thoroughly magical heritage, are used to assert the superiority <strong>of</strong> a dark caste <strong>of</strong> witches <strong>and</strong> wizards<br />
over ‘half-bloods’ or ‘muggle-borns.’ J.K. Rowling’s dystopian characterization <strong>of</strong> ideologies like<br />
fascism not only parodies the events that took place in the mid-twentieth century, but also shows<br />
the effects <strong>of</strong> using inflammatory language that promotes the superiority <strong>of</strong> one group <strong>of</strong> people<br />
over another.<br />
<strong>From</strong> a private collection<br />
<strong>From</strong> <strong>Nowhere</strong>: <strong>Utopian</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Dystopian</strong> <strong>Visions</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>our</strong> Past, Present, <strong>and</strong> Future 87
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