I’m looking for short stories and novellas that present more or less favourable takes on anarchism, left communist utopias, and the like for use in a university course on Marx and anarchism. I’m hoping for something that will open and inspire minds to thinking about alternatives and moving forward. Any genre is fine. As an example, I’ve used Eric Frank Russell’s “And Then There Were None” to open up discussions on empire and colonialism and resistance.
Thanks in advance, Fellow Workers!
You can always use Thomas More’s Utopia. You may want to first figure out which side he’s taking, but since people are still arguing over that after 500 years, you could just leave it to the students to hash out.
Ursula Le Guin. The Dispossessed.
Is Animal Farm too obvious?
Star Trek is as good a place to start as any.
This is the archetypal one, but it’s not a short story or novella.
For that, you want The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.
I’ve always thought Iain M. Bank’s Culture novels were excellent examples of a positive anarchic state, but alas you’re looking for shorter fiction.
Anarchy Comics also did a good job of portraying anarchy in a favorable way.
Not exactly a “favorable take,” which is what the OP asked for.
What episodes present a favorable view of anarchism or a communist utopia? Star Trek’s political viewpoint was pretty much that of the mid-20th Century US.
Also, parts of Always Coming Home - the Stone Telling narrative chapters combined are about novella-length.
That’s not necessarily an anarchist nor communist utopia. I know Le Guin wrote “I do not know the rules and laws of their society, but I suspect that they were singularly few.” but she leaves it deliberately ambiguous as to their actual structure.
Ah, for whatever reason I parsed “more or less favorable” as [more favorable] or [less favorable]. But I can see in retrospect that my reading wasn’t the natural one.
I would recommend a Robert Bloch story, “The World Timer.” It’s in his collection The Best of Robert Bloch.
You mentioned Eric Frank Russell, one of my favorite sci-fi writers. *The Best of Eric Frank Russell * has a short story, “Late Night Final,” which might be of interest to your class.
Harlan Ellison’s “The Crackpots” describes a somewhat anarchistic society.
You didn’t mention comic books, but Legionnaries had a few issues featuring Gates, a pretty wild insectoid communist. I think you would enjoy these even if you don’t use them for the classrom.
It is not exactly a favorable take, but I would suggest Larry Niven’s “Cloak of Anarchy” for food for thought. The same goes for Fritz Leiber’s short stories “The Big Holiday” and “Sanity.”
They might not fit your bill, but have you considered Zenna Henderson’s “People” stories? Their society seems to have few rules.
I must confess that it’s been a long time since I’ve read it and it might not fit the bill, but have you considered Theodore Sturgeon’s “The Skills of Xanadu?”
Lastly, I would suggest Jack Vance’s “The Moon Moth.” It describes another society with few rules, although slavery does exist. However, it would certainly trigger much debate and it’s a first-rate story; it appeared in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Vol. 2…
Not short fiction, but Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress features a character, Professor Bernardo de la Paz, who’s a self-described ‘rational anarchist’. I even found a discussion of the book from an anarchist perspective.
Also, Existential Comics frequently dips into anarchism, Marxism and associated topics. There’s even a tag for your namesake!
V For Vendetta (the comic, not so much the film) makes the case for anarchy as a desirable state of affairs but does not reach a state of constructive anarchy by the end of the story.
Yeah–on second thought, it’s not so much a view of an anarchistic society as it is an indictment of our current society. The final paragraph obliquely hints at the possibility of a society that’s not based on exploitation, but it certainly doesn’t define that as explicitly anarchist or communist.
A couple of R. A. Lsafferty short stories might fit the bill.
The Primary Education of the Camiroi (1966)
Polity and Custom of the Camiroi (1967)
Fun, completely unfeasible looks at how a well educated society might operate! The first link includes the story text, the second only has an excerpt.
Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy is a generally regarded as a socialist utopian fantasy rather than a Marxist one.
In this article, see especially Reaction and Sequels, as well as Legacy and Later Responses.
Thanks for weighing in, folks. Some good ideas here. Increasingly students seem weighed down by over-exposure to dystopian ideas, from having to read Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies in high school to the news to major issues of climate change and economics. I’m hoping for something that suggests it is possible to imagine and hope for a better future as a way to dent the despair. Doesn’t have to be Pollyannaesque, but something that demonstrates positive humanity and collective progress. Plus short, lively, and not preachy. Is this too tall an order?
Then, by all means, have them read Leiber’s “The Big Holiday.” It’s an upbeat story about a better future.
There’s an entire new subgenre of science fiction, dubbed “solarpunk,” that deals with an optimistic
view of the future. I reviewed an anthology of stories in the genre last year (second review).