Variations between Victorian and Utopian Society in The News from Nowhere

BOOK REVIEW – UTOPIA
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Book Review: Utopia
"News from Nowhere" is a novel written with the goal of showing people the possibility of socialism in society through a narrative form. It is, therefore, a political novel narrated by William Guest, a socialist. The novel begins with William Guest waking up in a new world with a different order of things than he is used to (Morris W. 1980, 4). There are no dense urban areas in the new world of Utopia, nor is there criminal justice system. There was also democratic control over production, which was not something that barely existed in Victorian society. The book review will therefore reflect the variations that exist between Victorian society and utopian society.
The first variation that exists is on how marriage got practiced. In Victorian society, people would get married and divorced when they felt it was no longer convenient for them. Clara and Dick had been married and had two children together. However, they had divorced, and this was something that was the norm in Victorian society. However, as Old Hammond stated, contractual marriages did not exist in Nowhere. Hence, divorce is not something that is practiced in Utopia. Furthermore, monogamy is what is practiced by residents in Utopia; however, since there is no contractual marriage, individuals are permitted to fall in love with other parties (Browne, P. 2018; 5). People are given the liberty to live as they please because their way of looking at matters concerning marriage and children has been transformed.
Additionally, in Utopia, people are no longer accorded roles based on their gender. Gender inequality, as described by Old Hammond, is not practiced in the twenty-first century. Individuals in Utopia have the freedom to choose what work to engage in and what their family structure should look like. Old Hammond also says that women are to do what they do best, and in no way do these make men feel jealous (Morris W. 1980, 58). Through this, there is an indication that if women are seen serving food and even going further to keep the house in order, it is because this is something they do perfectly and not because that is what society dictates women should do, like in Victorian society.
The other variation is on political matters. In Utopia, socialism is practiced, indicating that produc...