Eutopias and dystopias : a typology of utopian narratives from the perspective of philosophy of literature

Streszcz. po ang.

This article attempts to reconsider and systematize the classification of the utopian subgenre from the twin perspectives of philosophy of literature and literary theory. It appears that some of the latest contributions in that field undermine the traditional triad (which is generally accepted in Poland) of utopias, anti-utopia and dystopias. The author argues that the old typology should be replaced by a new division of utopias, or fictional 'non-places', into eutopias (ideal 'nonplaces') and dystopias (bad 'non-places'). This division draws on a critical tradition - less known in Poland - which links dystopias with a critique of European logocentrism and the author’s own idea of a contrastive pairing of the eutopian Father of Logos and the dystopian Ruler of Logos. This formula dethrones the dominant sociological paradigm and puts in its place a new analytical instrument which may be of use to critics, both literary critics and sociologists, who seek to align the eutopia and the dystopia with the modern and the postmodern narrative respectively.