Dreaming of Paradise Trivia Quiz

Answer: Eden

Following the biblical account of the creation, Genesis goes on to describe the home of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman:

Genesis 2:8,9 (KJV) - "And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil."

The passage goes on to describe the tasks given to Adam (tending the Garden and naming the animals), and that the Lord deemed it necessary for Adam to have a helper (Eve). Then, of course, sin entered the equation when Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation presented by the serpent. They were consequently ejected from the paradise of the Garden of Eden, with the way back forbidden to them, as seen in Genesis 3:24 - "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

Answer: Shangri-La

James Hilton published "Lost Horizon" in 1933, a story told from the perspective of Hugh Conway, a British diplomat who finds himself crash-landed in the middle of the mountains of Tibet (along with a number of other passengers). They soon discover that the pilot took them to the region on purpose, hoping to make his way to Shangri-La. While the passengers try to determine their next step, people from the lamasery arrive and return with them to Shangri-La.

Shangri-La turns out to be more than the visitors expect, with modern plumbing and a fine library. More amazingly, Conway meets the High Lama, who claims to be the man who founded the lamasery in the early 18th century, and who is 300 years of age!

Answer: Sir Francis Bacon's "The New Atlantis"

"The New Atlantis" was published in 1627, a year after Sir Francis Bacon's death. It was written in 1623, a scant two years after he was forced from public life on charges of corruption. The work depicted a land of religious freedom (although primarily Christian), strong family values and the pursuit of knowledge.

While there are differing interpretations of the subtleties of Bacon's "The New Atlantis", it is generally accepted that it was a reflection of Bacon's hopes for the establishment of a near-utopian society in the Americas, free of the problems evident in Europe.

As a point of interest, "The New Atlantis" was originally published in Latin.

Answer: The Peach Blossom Spring

"The Peach Blossom Spring" ("Tao Hua Yuan") is a fable written by Tao Yuanming, who lived from 372 to 427. The tale follows a fisherman who stumbles upon this paradise, hidden away from the troubles of the world for generations. The inhabitants "all wore clothing that looked like that of foreign lands.

The elderly and children all seemed to be happy and enjoying themselves." Through conversation with these people, the fisherman learns that they found this place during the troubles of the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), and know nothing of the world since that time.

After spending a week and leaving, the fisherman tries to bring others to the place, but is unable to find it again, despite marking his path.

Answer: The City of the Sun

Tommaso Campannela's "The City of the Sun" was written in 1602 in Italian, then later translated into Latin, although the work was not published until the 1620s. Campannela spent much of his life imprisoned or confined to a monastery, due to his involvements with conspiracies and conflicts with the Church. When he wrote "The City of the Sun", he had just been charged with and imprisoned for sedition and heresy.

In addition to being a vast, beautiful and well-defended city, Campannela's utopian society also had an ideal climate and where all people, regardless of their occupation, share in full citizenship and are held in esteem for their work. Nothing is owned by the individual, and even having one's own house or family is considered 'self-love' - officials are in place to ensure equal distribution of everything (including the women and children).

Answer: Aldous Huxley's

Aldous Huxley's "Island" came out in 1962, his last published work before his death in 1963. It was a counterpoint to his 1931 novel "Brave New World", which is set in a dystopian future London. "Island" portrays an idyllic place somewhere in the region of Indonesia that blends the best of Western and Eastern cultures.

The story centers around a journalist by the name of Will Farnaby who, while sailing for pleasure, is caught in a squall and is shipwrecked on the island. Injured, he is taken in and finds himself in a world at balance with itself. Technologies are developed, but only those that are needed, and not to the point of excess or misuse. Many of the themes of Huxley's "Brave New World" are explored in "Island", but with different emphases. For instance, in the dystopian future London, drugs are used for pacification and self-medication, while on the island of Pala, the use of drugs brings enlightenment.

Answer: A Crystal Age

William Henry Hudson first published "A Crystal Age" in 1887, but did not do so under his own name until 1906. The story depicts a world far removed from what the character of 'Smith' is familiar with. When meeting people, they cannot understand his references to cities or money, nor do they have any knowledge of the great names in history that Smith mentions.

A very striking difference in this imagined world is the change in human sexuality. The large mansion that Smith is brought to is actually like a colony, similar to that of bees or ants. Only the Mother and Father of the House (as named in the story) are able to reproduce.

Answer: Ecotopia

Ernest Callenbach published "Ecotopia: The Notebooks and Reports of William Weston" in 1975, a story about a country created by the 1974 secession of Washington, Oregon and Northern California, founded on the principles of environmentalism. William Weston is a journalist who comes to Ecotopia 25 years after the creation of this new (isolationist) country to see how they have survived.

"Ecotopia" projects a view of a possible world that, while perhaps not perfect, many people believe possible, if ecological technologies and environmental consideration (conservation, urban ecology planning) were brought to their extreme fulfillment.

Answer: The Blazing World

Commonly known as "The Blazing World", the full title of Margaret Cavendish's 1666 story is "The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World". Apart from being an imaginative tale well worth reading, it is significant for being one of the earliest science fiction stories published in the 'Age of Reason' (17th-18th centuries), during a time of scientific discovery.

The main character of the story is not named, and is known only as 'the Lady' throughout. After coming to the incredible and strange world through the North Pole, she eventually organizes a return to the 'real world', complete with an invasion force to attack the enemies of her homeland.

Answer: William Morris' "News from Nowhere"

"News from Nowhere (or An Epoch of Rest)" was published in 1890 by William Morris and depicts an idealistic socialist England of the future. Perhaps the title says it all. Can any utopia ever truly exist?

In "News from Nowhere", the narrator attends a meeting of the Socialist League in present day (Victorian) London, after which he goes to bed and wakes to find himself in a world where politics no longer exists, education is a personal choice and not forced on children, where everyone works and shares their labours (with no monetary system) and all people are considered equal.

Your other choices are all considered dystopian novels, of future worlds where life has actually become quite bad, for various reasons.