Download or read book The Utopian Novel in America, 1886–1896 written by Jean Pfaelzer and published by University of Pittsburgh Pre. This book was released on 2010-11-23 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the late 1800s, Americans flocked to cities, immigration, slums, and unemployment burgeoned, and America's role in foreign affairs grew. This period also spawned a number of fictional glimpses into the future. After the publication of Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward in 1888, there was an outpouring of utopian fantasy, many of which promoted socialism, while others presented refined versions of capitalism. Jean Pfaelzer's study traces the impact of the utopian novel and the narrative structures of these sentimental romances. She discusses progressive, pastoral, feminist, and apocalyptic utopias, as well as the genre's parodic counterpart, the dystopia.