Sustainable futures in Utopian and Dystopian Literature: A Comparative study of works by Thomas More, Aldus Huxley and Margaret Atwood

Abstract

This research examines sustainability in utopian and dystopian literature through the works of Thomas More, Aldous Huxley, and Margaret Atwood, focusing on the balance between technological advancement, social justice, and environmental stewardship. More's Utopia envisions equality as central to harmony, while Huxley's Brave New World and Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale caution against societies prioritising control over freedom, leading to environmental and human crises. Technology emerges as a double-edged theme—used for improvement in Utopia, exploited for manipulation in Brave New World, and both enabling and threatening in The Handmaid's Tale. The study also explores the tension between individual responsibility and collective action, with More emphasising communal accountability, Huxley depicting enforced conformity, and Atwood advocating for resistance and collaboration to foster change.