Book details
Looking Backward, 2000 to 1887
Inspect the stored metadata, editorial profile, authors, categories, and local EPUB state.
Stored record
Metadata
- Gutenberg ID
- 624
- Title
- Looking Backward, 2000 to 1887
- Language
- en
- Book source
- Project Gutenberg
- Description max 80 words
-
Edward Bellamy's visionary novel transports a wealthy Bostonian from 1887 to the year 2000, where he discovers a utopian socialist society. Through the eyes of his guide, Dr. Leete, the narrative contrasts the industrial misery of the nineteenth century with a future of abundance, equality, and social harmony, challenging readers to reconsider the foundations of their own era.
- Summary up to 500 words
-
Edward Bellamy's *Looking Backward, 2000 to 1887* presents a visionary critique of nineteenth-century industrial capitalism through the narrative of Julian West. In 1887 Boston, Julian, a wealthy but idle young man, falls into a deep sleep and awakens in the year 2000. He is cared for by Dr. Leete, a physician and statesman, who reveals that the chaotic, class-divided society of the past has been replaced by a unified, socialist nation. In this new world, private property and interest-bearing capital have been abolished. All citizens work for the common good, receiving maintenance based on their needs rather than their labor alone. The state organizes industry efficiently, eliminating poverty and waste. Julian learns that the 'rich' and 'poor' of the past were merely passengers and drivers of a broken coach, whereas the future society functions as a single, harmonious organism. He witnesses the elimination of crime, disease, and the degradation caused by poverty. Julian learns that the 'rich' and 'poor' of the past were merely passengers and drivers of a broken coach, whereas the future society functions as a single, harmonious organism. He witnesses the elimination of crime, disease, and the degradation caused by poverty. However, upon returning to 1887, Julian realizes he was merely dreaming of the future, having spent his life contributing to the very system that caused the suffering he now mourns. The novel serves as a critique of industrial capitalism and a blueprint for a peaceful, prosperous future achievable through social reform.
- LLM editorial rating
- 4.2/5
- Download URL
- https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/624.epub.noimages
- Local file path
-
data/epubs/pg624.epub - Downloaded at
- 2026-08-13 22:23 UTC
People
Authors
- Edward Bellamy
Classification
Categories
- Science Fiction
- Social Problems
- Utopian Fiction