Aristopia
Encyclopedia
Aristopia: A Romance-History of the New World is an 1895
utopian novel
by Castello Holford
, considered the first novel-length alternate history in English (and among the earliest alternate histories in general).
Though part of the major wave utopian and dystopian literature that distinguished the final decades of the nineteenth century, Holford's book reverses the normal stance of utopian projection: instead of imagining a better society at a future time or in a far-off place, he supposes that the founding of the United States occurred under different conditions and follows its development forward to a superior society in his own day.
In Aristopia (Greek
for "the best place"), Ralph Morton, an early settler in Virginia
, discovers a reef made of solid gold
. He cannily uses his wealth to build a planned society, based on the Utopia
of Sir Thomas More
, with innovations and adaptations of his own. In Aristopia, all the land is owned by the government, and only leased to businesses and private citizens. Large-scale trade is also monoplized by the state, and inherited wealth is limited. Morton welcomes productive refugees from European conflicts — Huguenots, Irish fugitives from Cromwell's
wars, and northern Italian and Swiss artisans.
The colony prospers, buys more land from the Indians
, and spreads westward. Morton dies at age 100; his descendants and successors carry his policies forward.
The Aristopians support the American Revolution
, and on their own initiative conquer Canada
. Aristopia comes to dominate the new nation, eventually ruling all of North America north of Mexico
.
Holford loads his description of Aristopia with satirical remedies for what he saw as contemporary problems and circumstances. In Aristopian jurisprudence, for example, the Court for Assessing the Value of Abstract Words and Phrases polices the language to prevent abuses; it is the largest and busiest function in the Palace of Justice.
The English playwright Henry Arthur Jones
was taken with the idea of Aristopia, and used it in his own polemical writings, as in his "The Tax-Wise Men of Aristopia" and his My Dear Wells.
Holford was not the first writer in English to employ the term "Aristopia." The eighteenth-century freethinker
John Fransham
(1730–1810) left a posthumous manuscript titled Memorablilia Classica, which contains a piece called "The Code of Aristopia, or Scheme for a Perfect Government."
1895 in literature
The year 1895 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:* Carlyle's House in Chelsea opens to the public.* Robert Frost marries Elinor Miriam White.* Ernest Thayer recites his poem, Casey at the Bat, at a Harvard class reunion....
utopian novel
Utopian and dystopian fiction
The utopia and its offshoot, the dystopia, are genres of literature that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction is the creation of an ideal world, or utopia, as the setting for a novel. Dystopian fiction is the opposite: creation of a nightmare world, or dystopia...
by Castello Holford
Castello Holford
Castello Holford was an American writer best known for writing Aristopia in 1895. It is perhaps the first true alternative history novel to be written in English and imagines a utopian society founded by the first settlers of Virginia ....
, considered the first novel-length alternate history in English (and among the earliest alternate histories in general).
Though part of the major wave utopian and dystopian literature that distinguished the final decades of the nineteenth century, Holford's book reverses the normal stance of utopian projection: instead of imagining a better society at a future time or in a far-off place, he supposes that the founding of the United States occurred under different conditions and follows its development forward to a superior society in his own day.
In Aristopia (Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
for "the best place"), Ralph Morton, an early settler in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, discovers a reef made of solid gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
. He cannily uses his wealth to build a planned society, based on the Utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
of Sir Thomas More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
, with innovations and adaptations of his own. In Aristopia, all the land is owned by the government, and only leased to businesses and private citizens. Large-scale trade is also monoplized by the state, and inherited wealth is limited. Morton welcomes productive refugees from European conflicts — Huguenots, Irish fugitives from Cromwell's
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
wars, and northern Italian and Swiss artisans.
The colony prospers, buys more land from the Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, and spreads westward. Morton dies at age 100; his descendants and successors carry his policies forward.
The Aristopians support the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and on their own initiative conquer Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Aristopia comes to dominate the new nation, eventually ruling all of North America north of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Holford loads his description of Aristopia with satirical remedies for what he saw as contemporary problems and circumstances. In Aristopian jurisprudence, for example, the Court for Assessing the Value of Abstract Words and Phrases polices the language to prevent abuses; it is the largest and busiest function in the Palace of Justice.
The English playwright Henry Arthur Jones
Henry Arthur Jones
Henry Arthur Jones was an English dramatist.-Biography:Jones was born at Granborough, Buckinghamshire to Silvanus Jones, a farmer. He began to earn his living early, his spare time being given to literary pursuits...
was taken with the idea of Aristopia, and used it in his own polemical writings, as in his "The Tax-Wise Men of Aristopia" and his My Dear Wells.
Holford was not the first writer in English to employ the term "Aristopia." The eighteenth-century freethinker
Freethought
Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint that holds that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or other dogmas...
John Fransham
John Fransham
-Early life:Fransham was the son of Thomas and Isidora Fransham, born early in 1730 in the parish of St. George of Colegate, Norwich, where his father was sexton or parish clerk. A relative, enabled him to start study for the church. After that he scraped a living; John Taylor gave him free...
(1730–1810) left a posthumous manuscript titled Memorablilia Classica, which contains a piece called "The Code of Aristopia, or Scheme for a Perfect Government."