FUNCTIONS OF UTOPIA IN SELECTED WORKS OF AMERICAN LITERATURE

Abstract

This article includes the multifaceted functions of utopia in selected works of American literature, with a central focus on Edward Bellamy’s «Looking Backward», and supplemented by an analysis of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s «The Blithedale Romance», Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s «Herland», and Ursula K. Le Guin’s «The Dispossessed». The paper examines how utopian fiction reflects societal anxieties, critiques existing power structures, and projects alternative visions of communal life. Utilizing a combination of literary criticism and historical contextualization, the article reveals that American utopian literature often functions as both a critique of contemporary injustices and a speculative framework for socio-political transformation.