Using a combination of historical and thematic approaches, this volume engages with the fascinating and complex genre of utopian literature.

Preface Gregory Claeys; Brief chronology of key works of utopian literature and thought; Part I. History: 1. The concept of utopia Fátima Vieira; 2. Thomas More's Utopia: sources, legacy and interpretation J. C. Davis; 3. Utopianism after More: the Renaissance and Enlightenment Nicole Pohl; 4. Varieties of nineteenth-century utopias Kenneth M. Roemer; 5. The origins of dystopia: Wells, Huxley and Orwell Gregory Claeys; Part II. Literature: 6. Utopia, dystopia and science fiction Peter Fitting; 7. Utopia and Romance Patrick Parrinder; 8. Feminism and utopianism Alessa Johns; 9. Colonial and post-colonial utopias Lyman Tower Sargent; 10. 'Non-western' utopian traditions Jacqueline Dutton; 11. Ecology and utopia Brian Stableford; Further reading.