A staple of Progressive Era utopian novels, Edward Ballamy's
Looking Backward
follows young Julian West after he wakes up in the future to a society founded on humanist and scientific principles. Work is efficient and fair, industry is owned by the federal government, and goods are distributed equally.
, written in 1888 eerily predicts many modern comforts and consumer innovations now taken for granted. The novel became a cult hit among America's intellectuals, with 162 'Bellamy Clubs' founded in America alone and influencing socialist and Progressive thought. Nonetheless, many of its ideals may leave a bad taste in a modern reader's mouth. George Orwell's
1984
served as a direct counter to Bellamy's state-utopia. Even in a post-Stalin world,
endures as a thought-provoking experiment, deserving to be debated for its merits and shortcomings alike.