Looking Backward: 2000–1887

Edward BellamyProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.1

Word count: 467K words
Chapters: 47

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Looking Backward: 2000-1887 by Edward BellamyAuthor: Bellamy, Edward, 1850-1898,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: May 12, 2008

Editor's review

Looking Backward: 2000–1887 is a utopian novel by Edward Bellamy, published in the late nineteenth century. Its protagonist sleeps from 1887 to the year 2000, awakening in an ideal society free of poverty, with organized production and distribution. Its value lies not in thrills but in its systematic discussion, in novel form, of industrialization, wealth inequality and social reform. It sparked wide debate on publication and gave rise to reading groups known as Bellamy Clubs. For today's readers it is an important text for understanding late nineteenth-century American social imagination and the utopian literary tradition, and it can be read alongside dystopian works. The many dialogues and institutional explanations may feel slow to readers who crave pace, but as a document of intellectual and literary history it remains readable and richly open to discussion.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in utopian literature and the dystopian tradition
University students and scholars of late nineteenth-century American social thought
Readers who enjoy fiction that debates social systems and reform
Book club members wishing to compare a classic utopian text with contemporary social visions

Not a good fit for

Genre readers seeking strong plots and fast-paced narrative
Readers impatient with lengthy institutional discussion and dialogue
Those who want only light romance or adventure stories

Reading tips

Read the opening and closing chapters first to grasp the century-long sleep structure, then return to the institutional dialogues in the middle.
Note the book's ideas about production, distribution and labor as you read, then compare them with contemporary social issues.
Pair it with background material on late nineteenth-century American society to understand what the author was responding to.
Suited to chapter-by-chapter book club discussion that sets utopian imagination against dystopian works.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a work of social theory?

It is a utopian novel that presents an ideal social system through characters' experiences and conversations rather than a strict sociological treatise. Readers get both a narrative frame and extensive discussion of production, distribution and labor organization, making it closer to a novel of ideas.

Why is the title "2000–1887"?

The title marks the span of time: the protagonist passes from 1887 into the future society of 2000. This "a century asleep" premise lets the author set late nineteenth-century social problems against future institutions, creating a dual perspective of looking back and looking forward.

Do I need to know American history before reading?

Systematic study is not required, but some familiarity with late nineteenth-century American industrialization, wealth inequality and reform movements makes the book's institutional proposals easier to grasp. With no background at all, start with a short historical introduction before the main text.

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About the author

Edward Bellamy Author · American · 1850–1898

Edward Bellamy (1850–1898) was an American novelist and journalist, best known for his utopian novel Looking Backward: 2000–1887. The book imagines a future society based on nationalization and cooperation; it became a bestseller of its time and gave rise to the Nationalist Club movement, influencing social reform debates. His other works include Equality, Dr. Heidenhoff's Process, Miss Ludington's Sister, and The Blindman's World. Twenty-two of his works are held in the collection. His writing often centers on social ideals, future visions, and human nature, combining narrative drive with speculative reflection. Public information on the details of his life is limited, so this introduction focuses on the themes and influence of his works.