Breaking the Promise of Perfection: Imperfect Utopias in Marge Piercy’s Woman on the Edge of Time

Elise Poll

doi:10.18778/2083-2931.14.13

Authors

Elise Poll Arizona State University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1483-4682

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/2083-2931.14.13

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Keywords:

utopia, science fiction, perfection, technology, hope

Abstract

In an era still plagued by popularized skepticism toward utopian thought, Marge Piercy’s 1976 novel Woman on the Edge of Time remains a compelling exploration of potential futures. This essay juxtaposes anti-utopian critiques of perfection, violence, and instrumental rationalism with Piercy’s portrayal of both utopian and dystopian worlds. By examining these critiques alongside the novel, this essay argues for a reinterpretation of utopia beyond the assumptions of promised perfection. Rather, this essay embraces the flawed nature of the human condition and claims imperfection as a central feature of utopia itself.

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Author Biography

Elise Poll, Arizona State University

Elise Poll is earning her PhD in English literature at Arizona State University. She is a junior scholar at the International Institute for Hermeneutics and the Assistant to the current editor at Analecta Hermeneutica.

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