The chapter traces utopian time-travel narratives from Mercier's enlightened Paris of 2440 to Morris's communist London and Wells's darkening visions. While Mercier expresses confident faith in progress and equality, Wells's Time Machine and A Modern Utopia mark a turning point: science and technology no longer guarantee happiness, signalling the twilight of optimistic utopianism and the rise of dystopian imagination.
University of Florence, Italy
Chapter Title
I viaggi nel futuro e il tramonto dell’ottimismo scientifico
Authors
Giandomenico Amendola
Language
Italian
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0985-4.16
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
L'utopia e la città ideale
Book Subtitle
Sogni, paure, desideri
Authors
Giandomenico Amendola
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
120
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-0985-4
ISBN Print
979-12-215-0984-7
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-0985-4
eISBN (epub)
979-12-215-0986-1
Series Title
People_Places_Architecture
Series ISSN
2975-0415
Series E-ISSN
2975-027X