Good morning scholars!

Part Five, Chapter One:

In this chapter, the character, Lebezyatnikov, expounds on his theories about Utopia (or an ideal society) which are put forth by the French social philosopher CHARLES FOURIER (1772 -1837). Fourier conceived of an ideal economic society (or commune) in which people share living space and work duties. Fourier based his ideas on Thomas More's UTOPIA, written 300 hundred years earlier, and on Plato's REPUBLIC. (DOSTOEVKSY, Irwin, page 124). Another tenet of the philosophy is "free love" where people are allowed to form romantic and sexual liaisons with multiple partners without marital entanglements. Children as a result of these unions would be taken care of by the entire commune. There were a few of these communes established both in Europe and in the United States (much to the outrage of the folk in the surrounding areas) in the 19th Century. This chapter is basically comic for Lebezyatnikov is used as a mouthpiece to expound on theories Dostoevsky views as ridiculous.

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