Science Fiction Bellamy, Edward: Looking Backward, v.1, 2 May 2008.

[Patricia]

Edward Bellamy (1850-1898)
‘Looking Backward From 2000 to 1887’
(1888)

A utopia. It particularly annoyed William Morris, whose own utopian novel, ‘News from Nowhere’ advocated a return to the middle ages, rather than the technological advances predicted by Bellamy.

From Wikipedia:
‘The book tells the story of Julian West, a young American who, towards the end of the 19th century, falls into a deep, hypnosis-induced sleep and wakes up more than a century later. He finds himself on the same spot (Boston, Massachusetts) but in a totally changed world: It is the year 2000 and, while he was sleeping, the U.S.A. has been transformed into a socialist utopia. This book outlines Bellamy's complex thoughts about improving the future.
The young man readily finds a guide, Doctor Leete, who shows him around and explains all the advances of this new age, including drastically reduced working hours for people performing menial jobs and community kitchens for busy housewives. Everyone retires with full benefits at age 45. The productive capacity of America is commonly owned, and the goods of society are equally distributed to its citizens. A considerable portion of the book is dialogue between Leete and West wherein West expresses his confusion about an issue and Leete explains it.’

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