As utopias question social ills and express human wants and unfulfilled dreams, they offer insights into the problems, desires and ideals of a certain time. This book uses this lens to examine cultural representations of ageing and old age in utopian writings from the Renaissance till today.
The individual chapters offer detailed analyses and interpretations of numerous utopias from Thomas More's Utopia (1516) to contemporary science fiction. Through close readings, the book explores age-related fears and ideals and investigates how perceptions of ageing and the life course as well as attitudes towards older people have developed over the centuries. Covering a large time span and a broad range of different utopias, the book identifies long-term developments and also puts certain dreams such as that of ever-lasting youth into a wider perspective. It thus enriches both our understanding of the cultural history of ageing and the history of utopian thought.
The book will appeal to scholars and students from the fields of cultural gerontology and utopian studies, as well as literary studies and cultural history more generally.
| ISBN: | 9781032817958 |
| Publication date: | 21st May 2026 |
| Author: | Robert Troschitz |
| Publisher: | Routledge an imprint of Taylor & Francis |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 252 pages |
| Series: | Routledge Studies in Cultural History |
| Genres: |
Social and cultural history Historiography European history |
As utopias question social ills and express human wants and unfulfilled dreams, they offer insights into the problems, desires and ideals of a certain time. This book uses this lens to examine cultural representations of ageing and old age in utopian writings from the Renaissance till today.
The individual chapters offer detailed analyses and interpretations of numerous utopias from Thomas More's Utopia (1516) to contemporary science fiction. Through close readings, the book explores age-related fears and ideals and investigates how perceptions of ageing and the life course as well as attitudes towards older people have developed over the centuries. Covering a large time span and a broad range of different utopias, the book identifies long-term developments and also puts certain dreams such as that of ever-lasting youth into a wider perspective. It thus enriches both our understanding of the cultural history of ageing and the history of utopian thought.
The book will appeal to scholars and students from the fields of cultural gerontology and utopian studies, as well as literary studies and cultural history more generally.
Growing Old in a Better World features in the following genres: Social and cultural history, Historiography, European history
Growing Old in a Better World is available in Paperback, Hardback
Growing Old in a Better World was written by Robert Troschitz and published by Routledge an imprint of Taylor & Francis
Growing Old in a Better World has 252 pages
Yes it is part of Routledge Studies in Cultural History series
£43.19