Burdekin's utopian visions : a study of four interwar texts

Desforges, Kate Elizabeth

Abstract

This thesis is an exploration of four of Katharine Burdekin’s utopian texts from the interwar period. Each text offers a unique perspective on the genre. The earliest text considered is The Rebel Passion (1929), Burdekin’s first utopian text and the only one that shows the representation of a truly positive society. In contrast, her later novel Swastika Night (1937), written on the cusp of the Second World War, is a dystopian nightmare set hundreds of years in the future, envisioning a society under the rule of a Nazi Empire. The third novel explored is The End of this Day’s Business (written in 1935 but published for the first time in 1989) a sex-role reversal utopia that explores gender inequality through the reversal of traditional gender roles: women rule and men are subservient. Finally, Proud Man (1934) is an intriguing tale of an androgynous character from a utopian reality who visits England in the 1930s.

Citation

Desforges, K. E. (2015). Burdekin's utopian visions : a study of four interwar texts. (Thesis). University of Hull. Retrieved from https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4218737

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Nov 30, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 23, 2023
• Keywords: English
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4218737
• Additional Information: Department of English, The University of Hull
• Award Date: Jan 1, 2015