Analysis of The View on The Utopian Society in Edward Bellamy's 'Looking Backward 2000-1887' and William Morris' 'News From Nowhere'.

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ABSTRACT

Dalam skripsi ini, saya menganalisis pandangan mengenai masyarakat utopia melalui pendekatan intrinsik. Masyarakat utopia adalah masyarakat yang memiliki kehidupan yang ideal atau sempurna. Saya memilih untuk membahas novel Looking Backward 2000-1887 karya Edward Bellamy dan News from Nowhere karya William Morris.

Kedua novel di atas pada intinya sama-sama menceritakan pandangan mengenai masyarakat utopia pada masa depan yang diperoleh dari narasi tokoh utama yang hidup pada masa depan dan kedua novel tersebut memuat pandangan yang berbeda satu dengan yang lain. Novel Looking Backward 2000-1887 bercerita mengenai masyarakat utopia yang dicapai melalui sistem pemerintahan terpusat dan industri. Sebaliknya, novel News from Nowhere bercerita mengenai masyarakat utopia yang dicapai melalui sistem pemerintahan desentralisasi dan produksi secara tradisional. Sistem tersebut berdampak pada perubahan kehidupan masyarakat yang menjadi lebih baik.

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Bellamy keadaan masyarakat tersebut disebabkan oleh penindasan orang kaya terhadap orang miskin dan persaingan bisnis yang ketat. Keadaan ini menyebabkan masalah lain, yaitu jurang pemisah antara orang kaya dan orang miskin, dan juga masalah pemogokan kerja. Masyarakat dalam novel News from Nowhere mengalami keadaan yang hampir sama ketika para buruh harus bekerja keras untuk memproduksi barang dan masalah pengangguran yang diakibatkan oleh penemuan mesin yang dapat memproduksi barang dalam jumlah besar.

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APPENDICES

Synopsis of Looking Backward 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy

Julian West, the protagonist of the novel, was born in aristocratic family in late nineteenth-century Boston. He finds that he lives in the midst of miserable society in which the poor live in poverty while the rich live in prosperity. He also finds that the rich compete with each other in fierce business competition.

Because Julian suffers from insomnia, he asks Doctor Pillsbury to make him fall into a deep sleep. He then builds an underground sleeping chamber in his house so that he is free from street noises. One night, on 30 may 1887 Julian sleeps in his chamber.

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Synopsis of News from Nowhere by William Morris

The protagonist is William Guest, a rich man who has a house by the river Thames at Hammersmith. One night, after attending a meeting of socialist league he goes back to his house and goes to sleep. When Guest wakes up, he is surprised that he is in the future.

Guest finds a historian named old Hammond, with whom he gets information about society in future London. The society in future London lives pleasantly and abundantly. They work in the traditional factory called Banded-workshop. People work freely and they love working. All the things in the future are mostly made in the traditional way by hands. He also finds people wearing medieval clothes and living in medieval house.

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Biography of the Author

Biography of Edward Bellamy

Edward Bellamy was born on 26 March 1850 in Chicoppee Falls,

Massachusetts. Bellamy studied law and worked for a short time in the newspaper industry in New York and in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1888, he published his famous work entitled Looking Backward 2000-1887. By 1900 the novel became as famous as Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

Looking Backward 2000-1887 is a utopian fiction novel which takes place in future America concerning nationalized industry, equal distribution of wealth in which to overcome problems that occur in Bellamy’s contemporary society. In this utopian world, the society has to dedicate themselves to the state with the spirit of solidarity among them.

In 1888, Bellamy Nationalist Club was formed and it spread out all over the country and attracted William Dean Howells and Edward Everet Hale. The main purpose of the club was to create and promote the practical realization of the utopian vision of Bellamy. The movement was over in 1894.

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Biography of William Morris

William Morris was born on 24 March 1834 at Elm House, Walthamstow. He was the third of nine children of William and Emma Shelton Morris.

Morris studied at Marlborough College in 1848, but after the riot happened at Marlborough College in 1851, he left his school and continued his education at home.

In 1853, Morris entered Exeter College at Oxford where he became a member of an undergraduate aesthetic circle that was deeply interested in idealism of the middle ages. Besides, Morris has deep interest in medieval art and architecture and with the mediaeval ideals of courtesy and of the communal life.

Morris wrote his poetry entitled The Defence of Guenevere published in 1858. In 1867, Morris published his poetry entitled The Life and Death of Jason and later his long poem entitled The Earthly Paradise appeared in 1868 and 1870. Morris published his prose translation of the Volsunga Saga, The Story of the Volsungs in 1870.

In 1883, Morris was made an honorary fellow of Exeter College, Oxford. In 1888, he published Signs of Change,a collection of lectures and his first prose romance entitled The House of the Wolfings. In 1889 Morris’ great work e ntitled News from Nowhere began to appear serially in Commonweal. In 1894 Morris published his fantasy prose, namely The Wood Beyond the World. In addition, Morris established the Kelmscott Press at Hammersmith in 1891.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Utopian literature began in 1516 with the first edition of the book of Sir Thomas More entitled Utopia. In its most common and general positive meaning, utopia, ‘…refers to the human efforts to create a better society, a perfect society that does not exist (yet).’ <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia>.

There are many utopian novels that have emerged not only in the United States but also in England with their amazing story. On this occasion, I am going to analyze two utopian novels written by two different authors; Looking Backward 2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy and News from Nowhere by William Morris. Both Edward Bellamy and William Morris got their fame soon after the publication of their utopian novels. Edward Bellamy, ‘…a lawyer and writer from western Massachussets, who wrote, in simple, intriguing language, a novel called Looking Backward, in which the protagonist falls asleep and wakes up in the year 2000…’(Zinn, 1995: 258), while William Morris, ‘…was a writer of poetry and fiction, and a pioneer of the socialist movement in Britain.’

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In a utopian novel:

The author imagines a society with a given set of social conditions, few in numbers, which are decidedly different from those of his own society; they are decidedly different, there is discontinuity between the author’s actual and his imagined society, but the difference is not so great as to render his imagined utopian society unrecognizable to his fellow citizens. <http://oregonstate.edu/Dept/philosophy/club/utopia/utopian-visions/spencer-lec.html#Condorcet' s>.

By analyzing utopian novels I can know about the ideal society which is imagined by the authors. Looking Backward 2000-1887 and News from Nowhere share a similar idea that these two novels do tell about a utopian society but in a contrastive way. The novel entitled Looking Backward 2000-1887gives a picture of a utopian future society which is built upon the implementation of centralized governmental and industrial system, while News from Nowhere describes a utopian future society which is built upon decentralized governmental and traditional production system. These two novels are also set in two different places, the former is in the United States and the latter is in England. Moreover, ‘…William Morris’ News from Nowhere was written partially in response to the industrial nature of Bellamy' s utopia, which Morris criticized. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia>. Owing to the fact that the two novels describe the utopian society, it is essential for me to analyze the view on the utopian society and the background of the view on the utopian society. In analyzing these two novels, I focus on the two major characters of both novels, which help me in showing the view on the utopian society.

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STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The problems which will be analyzed in this thesis are stated as follows: 1. What is the view on the utopian society in Edward Bellamy’s Looking

Backward 2000-1887 and William Morris’ News from Nowhere?

2. Why do Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward 2000-1887 and William Morris’ News form Nowhere have such a view on the utopian society?

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Based on the statements of the problem that have been mentioned, the purposes of the study are:

1. To show the view on the utopian society in Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward 2000-1887 and William Morris’ News from Nowhere.

2. To explain why Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward 2000-1887 and William Morris’ News form Nowhere have such a view on the utopian society.

METHOD OF RESEARCH

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ORGANIZATION OF THE THESIS

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CHAPTER FOUR

CONCLUSION

Having analyzed the view on the utopian society in Looking Backward

2000-1887 by Edward Bellamy and News from Nowhere by William Morris in

the previous two chapters, I come to the conclusion that there are several

similarities and differences in these two novels.

I find that these two novels have the same subject, that is utopian society.

They present the view on the utopian society or the so-called ideal society in the

future. I find that there are some similarities in the two novels. Each novel

presents two periods: in the past and the future. In addition, each novel uses two

major characters from two different eras, that is past and future. They function as

representations and narrators of their own society both in the past and the future.

In Looking Backward 2000-1887, Dr. Leete explains future Boston society to

Julian West who comes from past Boston society and vice versa. While in News

from Nowhere, Hammond also explains his future London society to William

Guest, who wakes up in future London and William Guest does the same thing to

Hammond. From their narrations, I find that the society condition in the past is

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period, both societies, particularly the many poor in both novels, live in a

miserable condition and face many problems. In Looking Backward 2000-1887,

the society in past Boston, particularly the many poor, are oppressed and have to

work hard for the few rich. This situation causes problems such as the gap

between the few rich and the many poor and frequent strikes by the many poor.

Besides, past Boston is also a period of fierce business competition which

happens among the rich. The past London society in News from Nowhere is also

in a miserable condition. The society, particularly the laborers have to work hard

in producing wares.

Furthermore, problems occur since the invention of machines such as

unemployment of laborers and frequent riots. These two novels describe the past

societies in slightly the same condition. In addition, the conditions in these past

societies have resemblance with the societies in which both authors lived and

inspired them to make the novels about the utopian society.

There is also another similarity in both novels namely the spirit of equality

and liberty in the way society works. In Looking Backward 2000-1887, all

citizens have equal obligation to work at industrial service collectively or to give

intellectual service for the nation and they have freedom to choose types of work

that are suitable for themselves. In News from Nowhere, all citizens have equal

right to work at the factory called Banded Workshops. Over there, together they

do traditional work which is suitable for them.

Besides the similarity, I find differences in the two novels. The differences

are obviously seen in the governmental and industrial system. The novel Looking

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The government with its industrial system becomes the sole employer in the

nation. Besides, the government also becomes the sole producer as well as the sole

distributor which regulates all the economic system. On the other hand, News

from Nowhere depicts a decentralized governmental and traditional production

system. The government applies the decentralized governmental system without

any defence system like the army, navy and police. Moreover, the nation

implements its economic system based on traditional industries and traditional

work.

There are also other differences in both novels concerning the grades of

the workers. In Looking Backward 2000-1887, the workers in industrial service

are classified into two grades which consist of classified and unclassified grades

of workers based on types of work and periods of work. On the contrary, News

from Nowhere does not classify the workers who work in Banded Workshop

based on grades. All citizens have equal right and are free to do pleasurable work.

News from Nowhere, which is set in England, is actually a criticism

toward Looking Backward 2000-1887, which is set in America. William Morris,

the author of News from Nowhere, criticizes the industrial system described by

Edward Bellamy in Looking Backward 2000-1887. According to Morris, the

utopian society is built upon the decentralized governmental and traditional

production system while Bellamy’s idea is upon centralized governmental and

industrialization system. Besides, Morris also criticizes the Industrial Revolution

which happened in the Victorian period, a period in which he lived.

I notice that Looking Backward 2000-1887 and News from Nowhere have

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imagination of the author. In these two novels, the major characters help revealing

the view on the utopian society. I find that Bellamy is more successful in

describing the view on the utopian society while Morris is less successful.

Bellamy has a vivid concept in describing his view on the utopian society, while

Morris seems to be slightly obscure in describing his view on the utopian society.

Finally, by analyzing the two novels, I think that the views on the utopian

societies presented by the two authors do not seem to be relevant to present

society. But, I find that both authors have brilliant ideas in conveying the utopian

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

References:

Henderson, Philip. Writers and their Work: No.32 William Morris. London:

Longmans, & Co., 1969

Link, Arthur S. American Epoch A History of the United States Since 1900. New

York: Alfred A Knopf, Inc., 1973

Miller, James E. England in Literature. Illinois: Scott, Foresman and Company.,

1973

The World Book Encyclopedia I volume 10. USA: Scott Fretzer company., 1996

Zinn, Howard. A People’s History of the United States 1492-Present. New York:

HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1995

Internet Websites:

A biography of Edward Bellamy (1850-1897). 17 September 2005.

<http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/B/ebellamy/ebellamy.htm>.

Utopia from Wikipedia, the free Encylopedia. 20 October 2005.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utopia>.

Utopian Writing: It’s Nature and Historical Context. Brooks Spencer. 20 October

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<http://oregonstate.edu/Dept/philosophy/club/utopia/utopian-William Morris: A Brief Biography. 17 September 2005.

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/morris/wmbio.html

Primary Texts:

Bellamy, Edward. Looking Backward 2000-1887 . Toronto: Broadview Literary

Text., 2003.

News form Nowhere or An Epoch of Rest by William Morris. 24 August 2005.