Inquiry-Based Teaching and Learning

Imperfect Ideal
Utopian and Dystopian Visions
• The 23 selections in this book include
both classic and contemporary works
from a variety of genres and time
periods.
• Readers are challenged to question
how society should be structured and
governed, as well as what kinds of
communities are most conducive to
human fulfillment, both privately and in
the civic arena.
• Provocative discussion questions are designed to help students gain
fresh perspectives on the juxtaposition of utopia and dystopia.
• Featured authors include: E. M. Forster, Riichi Yokomitsu, Jennifer
Egan, Robert Owen, Wislawa Szymborska, Ursula K. Le Guin,
Michel de Montaigne, George Saunders, and Thomas More.
Code Item Price ISBN
ADU-MAP Modern American Poetry $25.95 978-1-880323-88-5
ADU-HOA Her Own Accord $24.95 978-1-939014-38-2
ADU-HOA-DE Her Own Accord EPUB $9.95 978-1-939014-39-9
ADU-IMIG Immigrant Voices $19.95 978-1-933147-65-9
ADU-IMIG-DE Immigrant Voices EPUB $9.95 978-1-939014-69-6
ADU-BUS Short Story Omnibus $32.95 978-1-880323-73-1
ADU-IMP Imperfect Ideal $24.95 978-0-939014-20-7
ADU-IMP-DE Imperfect Ideal EPUB $9.95 978-1-939014-21-4
ADU-SFB Science Fiction Omnibus $19.95 978-1-933147-43-7
Short Story Omnibus
Established in 1947, the Great Books Foundation promotes the reading
and discussion of classic and contemporary works across the disciplines
and conducts workshops in Shared Inquiry ȚM a text-based Socratic
method of learning.
• From the traditional ince Edgar Allan Poe first described short the characteristics of “the story brief prose tale” to
Sin 1842, the short story has evolved and changed. It has captivated millions
of readers around the globe and challenged writers to hone their gifts by creating
narratives that can be read, as Poe insisted, “at one sitting.”
sudden fiction, from the novella to
This anthology brings together some of the best short stories ever written. These are
the ones we return to again and again because they delight us and challenge our
interpretive capacity. This collection also demonstrates the myriad styles and diverse
forms that have emerged over the past 150 years. The short story continues to evolve,
the graphic story, this collection
and this collection demonstrates the genre’s unfolding possibilities like no other
anthology before it.
From the traditional short story to sudden fiction to the novella to the graphic story—
demonstrates comics for grownups, myriad if you will—these works all attest to styles the enduring success and
of storytelling as a vital human activity. The short story delivers a distinct kind of
pleasure and sometimes even insight about who we are.
diverse forms of short stories from
“ The Great Books Foundation Short Story “ The Great Books Foundation Short Story
Omnibus builds upon a terrific selection of Omnibus builds upon a terrific selection of
classic stories, and the inclusion of more classic stories, and the inclusion of more
the past 150 years.
contemporary forms such as sudden fiction contemporary forms such as sudden fiction
and graphic stories makes this anthology and graphic stories makes this anthology
stand out. It is up-to-date and reflective of stand out. It is up-to-date and reflective of
recent developments in the genre. A great recent developments in the genre. A great
resource for the teaching and reading of the resource for the teaching and reading of the
short story.”
short story.”
• Several suggested discussion
— MARCIA ALDRICH
— MARCIA ALDRICH
Professor of creative writing at Michigan
Professor of creative writing at Michigan
State University and editor, Fourth Genre
State University and editor, Fourth Genre
questions accompany
THE GREAT BOOKS FOUNDATIONeach of the 39
A nonprofit educational organization
www.greatbooks.org
works.
• Brief biographical notes of each of
the authors are also provided.
Science Fiction
Omnibus
THE GREAT BOOKS FOUNDATION
the great books foundation
The 18 stories in this collection rise
above predictability and convention to
provoke new ideas and new thinking.
The ideas they present range across the
landscape of standard science fiction
concepts, including:
• Cross-cultural communication (and
miscommunication) with other
species
• The question of human identity in an environment increasingly
shaped by machines and technology
• Alternative reproduction and gender formations
• Survival in post-apocalyptic environments
The questions for each selection are intended to spark comprehension
and interpretation.
THE GREAT BOOKS FOUNDATION
Grades 9–12
800.222.5870 33