Mizora: A Prophecy / A MSS. Found Among the Private Papers of the Princess Vera Zarovitch

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

24750

Title

Mizora: A Prophecy / A MSS. Found Among the Private Papers of the Princess Vera Zarovitch

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Russian noble Vera Zarovitch recounts her exile and perilous journey to the utopian, all-female society of Mizora. This 1889 science fiction classic explores advanced technology, social equality, and the stark contrast between idealized civilization and the flawed realities of the Victorian world.

Summary up to 500 words

Mary E. Bradley Lane's *Mizora: A Prophecy* presents a visionary narrative through the eyes of Princess Vera Zarovitch, a Russian aristocrat exiled for her revolutionary sympathies and political dissent. After escaping the brutal Siberian mines, Vera is stranded in the Arctic, where she is rescued by an Esquimaux tribe before venturing into the interior of the Earth to discover Mizora. This society is an exclusively female civilization governed by a unified council, boasting advanced scientific achievements that eliminate poverty and crime. Under the guidance of the noble Wauna, Vera witnesses a world where electricity generates soft, dreamy light, instantaneous communication spans thousands of miles, and the state supports all citizens, rendering private wealth unnecessary for survival. The Mizoran government functions like a large family, with public officials housed in magnificent crystal capitol buildings and supported by the treasury to focus solely on state duties. Education is universal, and the poor are empowered to dictate their rights to capital through intellect rather than charity. Vera also marvels at the Aurora Borealis, which the Mizorans attribute to electricity, and observes how their technology allows public speakers to address audiences across the globe simultaneously. However, upon returning to the 19th-century world, Vera realizes the chasm between Mizora's perfection and human nature's flaws. She witnesses the suffering of children, the persistence of injustice, and the indifference of society to Wauna's purity. Unable to adapt to the harshness of the outside world, Wauna succumbs to illness and dies in an Esquimaux hut, expressing a longing for the Great Mother. Vera returns to a broken life in America, having lost her husband and child to the very injustices she sought to reform. Despite her personal tragedy and obscurity, she writes her story to advocate for universal education, social reform, and the belief that humanity can evolve toward the ideal life she witnessed. The novel serves as a prophetic critique of Victorian society, arguing that ignorance, poverty, and disease are hereditary evils that can only be eradicated through the enlightenment of the masses and the adoption of Mizoran principles.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Science Fiction
• Feminist Fiction
• Utopian Fiction