Love Thy Ideal Neighbor: Permitted and Forbidden Relationships in Utopian Fiction

Abstract

Writing a story that takes place in a fictional setting requires the author to do at least a little bit of worldbuilding—that is, creating a fictional world. Aside from names of places, such a story needs to convey how the fictional culture has influenced its characters. While some readers find it satisfying to know through the text that the author has put thought into the story's world at large, other readers do not notice this unless there is a crucial piece missing. If the story draws attention to the characters' eating habits, for instance, then readers will notice whether the author explains how the people in the fictional setting get their food. Creating a utopia in a story is a form of worldbuilding; what distinguishes utopian writing from other worldbuilding is its message about how the written society functions compared with the author's native society: what works, what falls short of the ideal, and what risks are in its near future.