Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature cover art

Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature

By: Pamela Bedore, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Pamela Bedore
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $38.99

Buy Now for $38.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

Can literature change our real world society? At its foundation, utopian and dystopian fiction asks a few seemingly simple questions aimed at doing just that. Who are we as a society? Who do we want to be? Who are we afraid we might become? When these questions are framed in the speculative versions of Heaven and Hell on earth, you won't find easy answers, but you will find tremendously insightful and often entertaining perspectives.

Utopian and dystopian writing sits at the crossroads of literature and other important academic disciplines such as philosophy, history, psychology, politics, and sociology. It serves as a useful tool to discuss our present condition and future prospects - to imagine a better tomorrow and warn of dangerous possibilities. To examine the future of mankind through detailed and fascinating stories that highlight and exploit our anxieties in adventurous, thought-provoking, and engaging ways. From Thomas More's foundational text Utopia published in 1516 to the 21st-century phenomenon of The Hunger Games, dive into stories that seek to find the best - and the worst - in humanity, with the hope of better understanding ourselves and the world. Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature delivers 24 illuminating lectures, led by Pamela Bedore, Associate Professor of English at the University of Connecticut, which plunge you into the history and development of utopian ideas and their dystopian counterparts. You'll encounter some of the most powerful and influential texts in this genre as you travel centuries into the past and thousands of years into the future, through worlds that are beautiful, laughable, terrifying, and always thought-provoking.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2017 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2017 The Great Courses
Literary Fiction Utopian Fiction Science Fiction Thought-Provoking Great Dystopian

What listeners say about Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    35
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    30
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    32
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A wonderful, exciting series

I purchased this ages ago and for some reason, didn't get around to reading it until very recently. Foolish foolish me! Once I started, I couldn't stop.

Pamela Bedore is a fantastic narrator and her enthusiasm for the subject matter is simply contagious. Coupled with her clear expertise, her easy going and down to earth explanations and her delightful way of narrating - almost as if you're sitting across from her at a bar - its a joy to listen to these lectures.

Pamela has selected an amazing array of books covering centuries of work and in each work, finds a way to show examples of each genre and also where you can go if you're interested in the topic / theme / particular style of that movement.

Easily the best lecture series I've purchased and one which I will revisit again (particularly as Pamela has given me a huge list of books to read / listen to). A brilliant series and a wonderful author narrator. Cannot recommend this enough.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of my favourite Great Course

Always a pleasure to listen to a passionate, interested and engaging lecturer. Pamela Bedore is wonderful. Only problem is my list of recommended reading will occupy the rest of this year

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beyond pen and paper

This course describes and explores the areas between such concepts as politics, society and technology; among others. It is compactly articulated and offers great insight to a a literary incompetent like myself.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

excellent experience & fascinating content

love the journey through Uptopian & dystopian lit. worth a listen. I really enjoyed the whole series of lectures.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Ugh

Pretty good content but the lecturer seems to be talking in a voice for young teens.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.