Gardens of Imagination – Narrative Utopias

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts221/v4/e0/f4/9c/e0f49c7e-71aa-08f2-44a9-4d7cce83c2a3/mza_9212682910889854105.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

Literary Nomads

Steve Chisnell

60 episodes

3 days ago

Join us as we find and lose meaning across modern and classic tales, through ancient and distant verse, atop everything in our many cultures which might be read. Explore familiar and unfamiliar reads, discovering ways to read, ways to know, and ways to make meaning. For teachers, students, and lovers of literature, Waywords can be listened to on its own but also comes with a host of bonus materials on its website for those who wish to go further.
I can’t promise what we’ll find along our paths each time, only that we will meet it together.

All content for Literary Nomads is the property of Steve Chisnell and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Gardens of Imagination – Narrative Utopias

Literary Nomads

35 minutes 33 seconds

3 months ago

Gardens of Imagination – Narrative Utopias

8 Aug 2025
Episode 6.08 - Gardens of Imagination - Narrative Utopias
Let's niche down into a small sub-genre of fantasy and explore our desire for it, the classic utopia. As Le Guin's work is utopia, understanding the genre's tradition, functions, and roles for readers is our final essential piece prior to taking on the story directly.

Some key texts discussed in this episode:

* Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, 1880
* Lois Lowry, The Giver, 1993
* Thomas More, Utopia, 1516
* Edward Bellamy, Looking Backward, 1888
* William Morris, News from Nowhere, 1891
* Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Herland, 1915
* H. G. Wells, Men Like Gods, 1923
* Aldous Huxley, Island, 1962
* B. F. Skinner, Walden II, 1948
* Ursula K. Le Guin, "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," 1972
* Marge Piercy, Woman On the Edge of Time, 1976

Categories of Utopia We Discuss:

* Sincere Utopia
* Thoughtful Puzzle
* Thorny Utopia
* False Utopia
* Dystopia

New to Literary Nomads? Check out episode 5.00 to find out what we're all about: https://waywordsstudio.com/podcasts/waywords_podcast/an-introduction-and-irony/

Reading Ahead, Journey 6:

* Ursula K. Le Guin: "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas": https://archive.org/download/the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-ursula-k-leguin/The%20Ones%20Who%20Walk%20Away%20from%20Omelas%20-%20Ursula%20K%20LeGuin.pdf

Complete Resources: https://waywordsstudio.com/project/le-guin-omelas/

CHAPTERS

00:00 Utopia Unjoined
05:07 Opening Theme
05:40 Utopia and Dystopia as Fantasy
18:41 The Utopia Tradition
26:26 Utopia as Thought Experiment
31:45 From Otium Gardens to Action
34:18 Closing Credits

===

Transcript: https://waywordsstudio.com/general/transcript/6-08-gardens-of-imagination

Have a Question? Literary Nomads Mailbag: https://forms.gle/WKGp1YWrazNZ3TLt8

===

Literary Nomads is the primary program of Waywords Studio (https://waywordsstudio.com). The podcast posts new material each week, with thought-provoking examinations of literature around selected questions or themes and several smaller supplemental episodes in between the larger programs: history, writing, and contemporary applications of ideas.

Visit us for expanded resources for guests and the Waywords community, for other programs and writing, and for opportunities to support our goal to expand reading. Resources available can include full bibliographies of material referenced, full and partial texts, annotated editions, supplemental and expanded episodes, fictional explorations, teaching and learning resources, additional essays, and online courses.

Website: https://waywordsstudio.com

Newsletter: https://waywordsstudio.kit.com/

Instagram: Back to Episodes