The weather outside is, quite frankly, frightful. You’ve seen all the memes about the general ick most of the country seems to be enduring. Since we seem to be skipping spring, let me propose a warm, idyllic escape, where the ocean is endless, warm, inviting; where the world is ordered, in balance, and where few men are in sight. Let’s venture to a world firmly on the feminist utopia map, the world of Shora.
On the area of the map that we categorize as female utopias, of which I have always been fascinated by, there are more than a few regions, planets, and authors.
One of the earliest is Herland, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (yes, the one who wrote The Yellow Wallpaper). Her isolated society, comprised solely of women, with reproduction by pathogenesis, describes an ideal community, free from war, conflict and domination. Published in 1915 as a serial, it was not available in book form until 1979.
In October of 1941, we got another island to visit – the Amazonian populated paradise of Wonder Woman’s home, Themyscira, recently revisited on screen in a highly refreshing female viewpoint.
During the second-wave feminism of the 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s, the availability of female utopias increased greatly. (The 90’s saw a boom in feminist dystopias, which is altogether another topic).
The ambisexual planet Gethen (from the The Left Hand of Darkness) was added to the map in 1968. If you haven’t read fellow columnist Sharon Patry’s entry, you should.
The planet Whileaway opened for vacation bookings in 1975 with Joanna Russ’ the Female Man. Again, Sharon has a really interesting column that I think you’ll enjoy.
Darkover (which I’ve already written about) attempts a female utopia inside a patriarchal society and popped onto the galactic map around the same time.
But in 1986, my personal favorite, and the one which I think will stand the test of time the best, exploded on the map, the planet Shora in Joan Slonczewski’s A Door into Ocean.
A Door into Ocean is the story of Spinel, a visitor to the planet of Shora. Or so he thinks. In reality, he’s a test for their female-balanced society – can a man be taught their ways, or should they use their advanced genetic technology to isolate themselves, or perhaps subdue the rest of the universe?
What makes the planet Shora so intriguing, and so vastly real, is the amount of world-building that went into this book. Joan, a biologist, studied the works of pacifist Gene Sharp and other advocates of non-violent resistance, using language and potential biologies to create her world.
You only have to look at her own study guide to see Joan’s passion for details. (I highly recommend reading this if you’re a fan of A Door into Ocean. Or if you want to see the amount of thought necessary to create a coherent entire world, and then sob about all the things you haven’t considered.)
In terms of scope, Joan Slonczelwski created a world as detailed as J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, with the difference being that hers relies only on known laws of physics and biology, incorporates feminist theory, pacifism, and linguistic creations, and also is a flat out whomping good story. A Door into Ocean is not dystopian. Moreover, unlike other feminist utopias that do not allow males, the conclusion of the philosophies of Shora is, yes, men can learn, can adapt, and can be respected and included by feminist society.
In today’s political climate, which seems to be reflected in the gray weather, its nice to be able to visit an inclusive world of sun, idealism, and hope. So pack your bags for Shora, you won’t be needing much, and swimsuits are definitely not required.
No Comments