A Traveler from Altruria

A Traveler from Altruria. It is a utopian novel by the prominent American realist author William Dean Howells, first published in 1894. The narrative, structured as a Frame story, uses the device of a visitor from a fictional utopian society to deliver a pointed critique of Gilded Age America, contrasting its social darwinist and laissez-faire economic practices with the cooperative ideals of Altruria. The novel is a significant work in the canon of American Political fiction and reflects Howells's own growing interest in socialist and Tolstoyan thought during the latter part of his career.

Plot summary

The story is narrated by Mr. Twelvemough, a popular novelist, who is hosting a visitor named Mr. Homos from the remote Pacific island nation of Altruria. Homos arrives at a luxurious summer hotel in New England, where he interacts with a cross-section of American society, including a banker, a lawyer, a professor, and a minister. Through a series of conversations and observations, Homos questions the social structures and economic inequalities he witnesses, from the treatment of servants and the plight of farmers to the operations of Wall Street. The climax occurs when Homos delivers a lengthy public lecture detailing the history and principles of Altruria, a society founded on Christian socialism, voluntary labor, and the abolition of private property and money.

Publication history

The novel first appeared as a serial in the pages of The Cosmopolitan magazine from November 1892 to October 1893. It was subsequently published in book form by Harper & Brothers in 1894. The serialization coincided with a period of intense labor unrest in the United States, including the Homestead Strike against the Carnegie Steel Company. Howells later wrote a sequel, Through the Eye of the Needle (1907), which further explores Altrurian society. The work has remained in print through various editions from publishers like Penguin Classics and is often studied alongside other utopian works of the era, such as Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward.

Major themes

The central theme is a critique of the American Dream and the capitalist system of the Gilded Age, which Howells contrasts with the utopian collectivism of Altruria. The novel explores the hypocrisy of a Christian nation that tolerates vast wealth inequality and social stratification. It satirizes the American worship of business and the Protestant work ethic, suggesting they create a society of alienation rather than community. Furthermore, it examines the role of the artist and intellectual in society, as embodied by the narrator Twelvemough, who is both fascinated and made uncomfortable by Homos's radical ideas.

Critical reception

Initial reception was mixed, with some critics praising its moral fervor and others dismissing it as unrealistic propaganda. Contemporary reviews in publications like The Atlantic and The Nation acknowledged Howells's literary stature but often quarreled with his political conclusions. In the 20th century, scholars reevaluated the novel as a key text in the American utopian socialist tradition. Critics such as Alfred Kazin and Cynthia Griffin Wolff have analyzed its place within Howells's ideological development and its dialogue with the works of Tolstoy, Henry George, and Edward Bellamy. It is now considered a vital, if flawed, contribution to the literature of social criticism.

Adaptations

There have been no major film or television adaptations of the novel. However, it has been adapted for the stage in various academic and community theatre productions, particularly in the United States during periods of renewed interest in economic justice. The novel's format, centered on lengthy philosophical dialogues, has also made it a frequent subject for dramatic readings and radio play experiments on public broadcasting stations like NPR. Its themes ensure its periodic revival in theatrical contexts interested in Political theatre.

Category:American novels Category:Utopian novels Category:1894 American novels Category:Novels by William Dean Howells