With the publication of Thomas More's *Utopia* in 1516, the word came into use and a new literary genre emerged, combining social criticism with the description of a more just society. However, utopia is not about a better future but another present—a present in a different place where happiness, equality, and prosperity reign. Thierry Paquot explores several written or implemented utopias based on distinct themes: work and leisure; education, family, and romantic relationships; the city and architecture.

During the 19th century, utopia became timeless and later merged with science fiction to propose alternatives to the 'consumer society'. Utopia conceals both the best and the worst; it can be tyrannical, totalitarian, ascetic, somber, and uniform, yet it can also encourage the blossoming of desires, multiply pleasures, and joyfully respond to every individual's aspirations.

This scholarly and educational book presents these paradoxes, introducing the reader to the works of More, Bacon, Fénelon, Diderot, Sébastien Mercier, Owen, Saint-Simon, Fourier, Bellamy, William Morris, and many other 'great dreamers'. Thierry Paquot is a philosopher and university professor (Urbanism Institute of Paris, Paris-12). His works include *Utopia, the Rigged Example* (Hatier, 1996, translated into 6 languages). He supervised *Le Familistère Godin à Guise, habiter l'utopie* (Éditions de la Villette, 4th edition, 2004) and has published several books on the city and urbanism.

• Publishing House: Dar Al-Farabi for Publishing and Distribution
• Author: Thierry Paquot
• ISBN: 9789953713878
• Number of Pages: 216
• Year of Publication: 2008
• Cover Type: Paperback