Hayles, ''Is Utopia Obsolete?'' (Online) -- Jerz: Intro to Literary Study (EL150)
When you hear the word Utopia you think of serenity and tranquility. I found several definitions of utopia. All deal with peace and harmony. an imaginary and indefinitely remote place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions; an ideal and perfect place or state, where everyone lives in harmony and everything is for the best; or a description of such a place.
A literary work which describes the ideal state or way of life. The most famous example of a Utopian work is Thomas More's Utopia (from which the term is derived).
A place in which social, legal, and political justice and perfect harmony exist.
All of the above defintions are means of a perfect place or life.
I like how Hayles talks about how The Diamond Age could be more likely defined as a mutopia. Which in essence according to Hayles can recreate a new sense of a BEYOND HUMAN type of person. I think that with the rate of growing technology, maybe in the very distant future we will be in a UTOPIAN world.
Posted by SarahLodzsun at April 18, 2006 10:22 PM