Der utopische Raum zwischen Virtualität und Präsenz im 19. Jahrhundert am Beispiel von Étienne Cabets Voyage en Icarie (1840)

Abstract

Literary utopias create virtual depictions of non-existent spaces to illustrate ideal worlds. Various forms of representation, such as spatial sketches and geographical maps, are used to convey the spatial order of a utopian society. The literary utopia is thus an essential means of illustrating and disseminating social visions. These descriptions not only serve as an end in themselves, but also symbolize social conditions and locate society. Ever since utopian thinking began, the question of whether it could be realised arose. Étienne Cabet’s Voyage en Icarie impressively demonstrates that utopias not only develop meaning within the literary system, but can also change real space. In fact, the work served as the basis for the creation of a real Icaria by transferring the concept of virtual possibility thinking into space.