295:"pulled off the press so late in 1770 that it was dated 1771, the year it was actually sold", but "despite evidence to the contrary , scholarly practice has made the supposed 1770 edition of this novel an enduring bibliographical ghost". The confusion is partly the fault of Mercier himself, who at different times gave both dates as the year of the first edition's publication. Wilkie concludes that the only fact that Mercier was consistent about is that the first edition was published in Amsterdam by E. van Harrevelt, and existing evidence strongly favors 1771 – probably the summer – as the correct date of publication.
344:
27:
397:, as of 2019, no official English translation of the revised 1786 version exists). Neither the Hooper nor Freeman's translations were authorized by Mercier, and both translators openly admitted they did not know who the author was (he was first attributed as the author in English in an 1802 translation of his work).
327:
Nevertheless, it quickly became an underground bestseller in France, with over twenty editions during
Mercier's lifetime, as well as a number of translations abroad, with many unauthorized and sometimes altered editions. It has been described as "one of the eighteenth century's most successful books"
187:
The novel describes the adventures of an unnamed man who, after engaging in a heated discussion with a philosopher friend about the injustices of Paris, falls asleep and finds himself in a Paris several centuries into the future. He wanders through the changed city, eventually ending up in the ruins
328:
and "one of the most controversial", with an estimated 60,000 copies in several languages printed during that time, provoking a gamut of contemporary evaluations. By the late 1770s
Mercier admitted his authorship of the novel, and his name finally appeared in the 1791 edition, after the fall of the
294:
According to Evelyn L. Forget, Mercier finished the first manuscript in 1768, though Wilkie writes that parts of the book clearly date to 1770, as they reference events of that year. Sources also vary as to the year of the book's first edition, citing 1770 or 1771. Wilkie writes it might have been
374:
and added a number of footnotes. Mercier's choice of the somewhat awkward number 2440 might be related to it being his 700th birthday, whereas Hooper's title, described as "perplexing" by one scholar, is likely due to his preference for a simpler, rounded up title. Mercier published four editions
435:". Its plot structure, showing a familiar setting centuries into the future, instead of some far-away but contemporary place, has been credited with starting "the crucial shift of utopia from the imaginary island to future time". The book has also been described as "the first
570:, and even as a veiled call to action – something made more explicit in the preface to later editions, in which Mercier urges the coming of an "age of progress and universal happiness", claiming his novel as
375:(1771, 1774, 1786 and 1779), although there is some further controversy surrounding the 1774 edition, whose authorship Mercier later denied. The revised edition of 1786, now under the title
552:. Another theme concerns gender equality, about which Mercier has again been described as both progressive and conservative: in his future world, marriages are based on love,
366:
owned the first edition. Around the same time it was translated to Dutch and German, and a few years later into
Italian. For the English edition, Hooper changed the title to
308:, the novel was at first published illicitly, appearing anonymously, smuggled into France, and sold by underground booksellers. It was banned in France; in Spain by the
291:
Everett C. Wilkie Jr. notes that there have been many misstatements concerning the novel's publication history and
Mercier's bibliography in general.
400:
Despite its popularity in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the work was quickly eclipsed by others and "almost forgotten" by the 20th century.
594:? And once engaged in it, who could fail to see that it exposed the rottenness of the society before his eyes, the Paris of the eighteenth century?"
1442:
387:
being a new, separate short story) was in turn partially translated to
English by Harriot Augusta Freeman under another liberally changed title,
1427:
1297:
1270:
1196:
1169:
1055:
1025:
993:
961:
929:
783:
688:
461:
1412:
392:
507:
221:
200:
have been reorganized. Citizens' garb is comfortable and practical. Hospitals are effective and science-based. There are no
171:
It has been described as one of the most popular and controversial novels of the 18th century, one of the earliest works of
1317:
416:
176:
1422:
343:
322:
586:
demanded to be read as a serious guidebook to the future. It offered an astonishing new perspective: the future as a
358:
It was first translated to
English 1772 by William Hooper, and was the first utopia published in the United States:
420:
347:
165:
44:
517:
521:(1836). The growing speculation about the near future has been related to the growing popularity of the idea of
560:
are abolished; but ideal women are "free" to devote themselves to life at home as "good wives and mothers".
411:
was one of
Mercier's most famous works. It has been described as an "important milestone in the evolution of
1432:
1417:
1213:
264:
512:
456:
424:
474:
432:
333:
1437:
470:
189:
448:
309:
431:
noted that "it laid the groundwork for the first theoretical discussion of the potential scope of
1391:
1140:
1101:
829:
655:
591:
502:
248:, who proudly display their library, reduced to a single room of only the most valuable works.
1383:
1293:
1287:
1266:
1260:
1192:
1186:
1165:
1159:
1132:
1093:
1051:
1045:
1021:
1015:
989:
983:
957:
951:
925:
919:
883:
821:
779:
684:
647:
545:
363:
252:
773:
678:
639:
590:
and the present as a distant past. Who could resist the temptation to participate in such a
440:
428:
359:
300:
280:
260:
132:
745:
439:". However, earlier novels by other writers had been set in the near future. These include
1323:
541:
412:
172:
82:
746:"Authors : Mercier, Louis-SĂ©bastien : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia"
493:
also inspired many later authors. Some of the earliest works to be influenced by it are
332:; due to Mercier's late admission of authorship, some early versions were attributed to
575:
537:
272:
197:
1214:"Utopia, reform and revolution: the political assumptions of L.S. Mercier's L'an 2440"
469:, 1900–1925 (1763). Mercier's novel has been described as having been inspired by the
1406:
1337:
1333:
659:
587:
478:
233:
213:
876:"Mercier's "L'An 2440": Its publishing history during the author's lifetime, Part I"
240:: such occupations, institutions, and products have been adjudged to be useless and
533:
483:
313:
245:
193:
192:. Mercier's hero notes everything that catches his fancy in this futuristic Paris.
566:
has been described as an important example of French pre-Revolutionary literary
494:
209:
1235:
1344:
708:
381:
The Year Two
Thousand Four Hundred and Forty, Followed by The Iron Man: Dream,
305:
1387:
1136:
1097:
887:
875:
825:
810:"Imagining the Future: Mercier's "L'An 2440" and Morris' "News from Nowhere""
651:
567:
237:
26:
1236:"Themes : Near Future : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia"
643:
548:) and by his patriotism, which sees France as the world's new, benevolent
571:
549:
522:
436:
389:
Astraea's Return, or The
Halcyon Days of France in the Year 2440: A Dream
337:
317:
259:
France that has been established through a peaceful revolution led by a "
256:
156:
Astraea's Return, or The
Halcyon Days of France in the Year 2440: A Dream
1144:
1120:
833:
809:
711:[Insomnia of the Enlightenment; The year 2440 by L.S. Mercier].
1105:
1081:
553:
529:
276:
241:
217:
1395:
1371:
627:
268:
205:
377:
L'an deux mille quatre cent quarante, Suivi de L'Homme de Fer: Songe
1047:
The Imagined Empire: Balloon Enlightenments in Revolutionary Europe
557:
342:
229:
225:
179:
set in the future rather than at a distant place in the present.
161:
201:
1121:"The Pedagogical City of Louis-SĂ©bastien Mercier's "L'An 2440""
354:(The Year 2440), vol. II, Paris, Lepetit Jeune et Gerard, 1802
1372:"La Bibliothèque de l'homme de l'an 2440 selon L. S. Mercier"
1319:
L'an deux mille quatre cent quarante. RĂŞve s'il en fut jamais
985:
Science Fiction Before 1900: Imagination Discovers Technology
921:
The Social Economics of Jean-Baptiste Say: Markets and Virtue
628:"Louis-SĂ©bastien Mercier: Prophet, Abolitionist, Colonialist"
578:
writes that "despite its self-proclaimed character of fantasy
953:
Suffragette City: Women, Politics, and the Built Environment
950:
Elizabeth Darling; Nathaniel Robert Walker (8 August 2019).
244:– as has much previously written literature, which has been
775:
Patriotic Pacifism: Waging War on War in Europe, 1815–1914
1289:
The Forbidden Best-sellers of Pre-revolutionary France
1017:
Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction Literature
945:
943:
941:
680:
Library Company of Philadelphia: 1972 Annual Report
114:
106:
96:
88:
78:
70:
62:
50:
40:
1262:X-Risk: How Humanity Discovered Its Own Extinction
141:; but the title has been rendered into English as
1164:. University of California Press. pp. 236–.
1009:
1007:
1005:
709:"Bezsenność Oświeconych. Rok 2440 L.-S. Merciera"
1158:Juliet Ash; Elizabeth Wilson (1 January 1992).
1050:. University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 141.
544:(defined primarily on the superior example of
255:of 1789, the book describes a future secular,
1330:Memoirs of the Year Two Thousand Five Hundred
683:. The Library Company of Phil. pp. 7–8.
574:(drawing much derision from contemporaries).
368:Memoirs of the Year Two Thousand Five Hundred
144:Memoirs of the Year Two Thousand Five Hundred
8:
1191:. University of Georgia Press. p. 122.
977:
975:
973:
913:
911:
909:
907:
905:
903:
901:
899:
897:
767:
765:
246:willingly destroyed by the future librarians
138:The Year 2440: A Dream If Ever There Was One
54:
19:
1080:E., A. B. (2003). Forsström, Riikka (ed.).
1039:
1037:
540:– tempered, however, by Mercier's view of
298:Due to its controversial criticism of the
208:, dancing masters (i.e., dance teachers),
25:
18:
778:. Oxford University Press. pp. 12–.
1345:"How the Year 2440 was Imagined in 1771"
1340:(in English, 1772 translation by Hooper)
316:by the Spanish king himself; and by the
603:
477:and by earlier utopian fiction such as
263:" who has set up a system resembling a
1075:
1073:
1071:
1069:
1067:
956:. Taylor & Francis. p. 103.
869:
867:
865:
863:
632:Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture
423:", and one of the first works in the
16:1771 novel by Louis-SĂ©bastien Mercier
7:
918:Evelyn L. Forget (31 January 2002).
861:
859:
857:
855:
853:
851:
849:
847:
845:
843:
803:
801:
799:
797:
795:
772:Sandi E. Cooper (19 December 1991).
740:
738:
736:
734:
732:
730:
728:
726:
702:
700:
673:
671:
669:
621:
619:
617:
615:
613:
611:
609:
607:
536:, and even advocacy of some limited
465:(1733), and the anonymously written
462:The Memoirs of the Twentieth Century
352:L'An deux mille quatre cent quarante
1259:Thomas Moynihan (20 October 2020).
1082:"Revisiting Mercier's "L'An 2440""
713:Przegląd Filozoficzny — Nowa Seria
128:L'An 2440, rĂŞve s'il en fut jamais
56:L'An 2440, rĂŞve s'il en fut jamais
33:L'An 2440, rĂŞve s'il en fut jamais
14:
508:The Year 4338: Petersburg Letters
453:Epigone. Histoire du siècle futur
425:genre focusing on the near future
251:Written only 18 years before the
1020:. Scarecrow Press. p. 226.
626:Marcellesi, Laure (2011-02-18).
419:variety, " exceedingly popular
1185:Paul K. Alkon (1 August 2010).
982:Paul K. Alkon (15 April 2013).
924:. Routledge. pp. 187–188.
394:Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
1443:Novels set in the 25th century
1324:including on French Wikisource
1322:(in French, various editions)
1161:Chic Thrills: A Fashion Reader
1044:Mi Gyung Kim (31 March 2017).
874:Wilkie, Everett C. Jr (1984).
814:Comparative Literature Studies
275:France is portrayed as having
1:
1428:French science fiction novels
1188:Origins of Futuristic Fiction
1119:Brown, Diane Berrett (2005).
528:One of the novel's themes is
1292:. Norton. pp. 118–120.
1265:. MIT Press. pp. 128–.
1218:History of Political Thought
1014:Brian M. Stableford (2004).
323:Index Librorum Prohibitorum
1459:
1413:18th-century French novels
1212:Chisick, H. (2001-04-01).
988:. Routledge. p. 165.
707:Kwaterko, Mateusz (2000).
518:Three Hundred Years Hence
287:Editions and translations
116:Published in English
24:
880:Harvard Library Bulletin
808:Ludlow, Gregory (1992).
499:Holland in het jaar 2440
372:Memoirs of the Year 2500
204:, priests, prostitutes,
175:, and the first work of
150:Memoirs of the Year 2500
1286:Robert Darnton (1996).
1086:Science Fiction Studies
415:", particularly of the
348:Louis-SĂ©bastien Mercier
320:in 1773, placed on the
238:coffee, tea, or tobacco
166:Louis-SĂ©bastien Mercier
45:Louis-SĂ©bastien Mercier
1370:Godenne, René (1972).
532:, and support for its
467:The Reign of George VI
355:
265:parliamentary monarchy
55:
644:10.1353/sec.2011.0012
475:Jean-Jacques Rousseau
421:proto-science fiction
385:L'Homme de Fer: Songe
346:
35:(1772 London edition)
312:in 1778, supposedly
190:Palace of Versailles
1423:Novels set in Paris
1240:sf-encyclopedia.com
750:sf-encyclopedia.com
429:Brian M. Stableford
304:and portrayal of a
51:Original title
21:
592:thought experiment
503:Vladimir Odoyevsky
433:futuristic fiction
391:(according to the
356:
1376:The French Review
1299:978-0-393-31442-7
1272:978-1-913029-82-1
1198:978-0-8203-3772-2
1171:978-0-520-08339-4
1125:The French Review
1057:978-0-8229-8195-4
1027:978-0-8108-4938-9
995:978-1-134-98049-9
963:978-1-351-33391-7
931:978-1-134-63080-6
785:978-0-19-992338-0
690:978-1-4223-6105-4
445:Aulicus His Dream
364:George Washington
253:French Revolution
124:
123:
107:Publication place
1450:
1399:
1359:
1357:
1356:
1304:
1303:
1283:
1277:
1276:
1256:
1250:
1249:
1247:
1246:
1232:
1226:
1225:
1209:
1203:
1202:
1182:
1176:
1175:
1155:
1149:
1148:
1116:
1110:
1109:
1077:
1062:
1061:
1041:
1032:
1031:
1011:
1000:
999:
979:
968:
967:
947:
936:
935:
915:
892:
891:
871:
838:
837:
805:
790:
789:
769:
760:
759:
757:
756:
742:
721:
720:
704:
695:
694:
675:
664:
663:
623:
581:
441:Francis Cheynell
360:Thomas Jefferson
261:philosopher-king
222:arbitrary arrest
98:Publication date
58:
29:
22:
1458:
1457:
1453:
1452:
1451:
1449:
1448:
1447:
1403:
1402:
1369:
1366:
1364:Further reading
1354:
1352:
1343:
1313:
1308:
1307:
1300:
1285:
1284:
1280:
1273:
1258:
1257:
1253:
1244:
1242:
1234:
1233:
1229:
1211:
1210:
1206:
1199:
1184:
1183:
1179:
1172:
1157:
1156:
1152:
1118:
1117:
1113:
1079:
1078:
1065:
1058:
1043:
1042:
1035:
1028:
1013:
1012:
1003:
996:
981:
980:
971:
964:
949:
948:
939:
932:
917:
916:
895:
873:
872:
841:
807:
806:
793:
786:
771:
770:
763:
754:
752:
744:
743:
724:
706:
705:
698:
691:
677:
676:
667:
625:
624:
605:
600:
579:
542:Western culture
417:utopian fiction
413:science fiction
406:
289:
214:standing armies
185:
177:utopian fiction
173:science fiction
131:(literally, in
117:
99:
83:Science fiction
36:
17:
12:
11:
5:
1456:
1454:
1446:
1445:
1440:
1435:
1433:Censored books
1430:
1425:
1420:
1418:Utopian novels
1415:
1405:
1404:
1401:
1400:
1382:(3): 571–579.
1365:
1362:
1361:
1360:
1341:
1326:
1312:
1311:External links
1309:
1306:
1305:
1298:
1278:
1271:
1251:
1227:
1204:
1197:
1177:
1170:
1150:
1131:(3): 470–480.
1111:
1092:(1): 130–132.
1063:
1056:
1033:
1026:
1001:
994:
969:
962:
937:
930:
893:
839:
791:
784:
761:
722:
696:
689:
665:
638:(1): 247–273.
602:
601:
599:
596:
576:Robert Darnton
556:is legal, and
546:French culture
538:decolonization
473:philosophy of
449:Jacques Guttin
405:
402:
306:secular future
288:
285:
198:justice system
184:
181:
153:, and also as
122:
121:
118:
115:
112:
111:
108:
104:
103:
100:
97:
94:
93:
90:
86:
85:
80:
76:
75:
72:
68:
67:
66:William Hooper
64:
60:
59:
52:
48:
47:
42:
38:
37:
30:
20:The Year 2440
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1455:
1444:
1441:
1439:
1436:
1434:
1431:
1429:
1426:
1424:
1421:
1419:
1416:
1414:
1411:
1410:
1408:
1397:
1393:
1389:
1385:
1381:
1377:
1373:
1368:
1367:
1363:
1350:
1346:
1342:
1339:
1335:
1331:
1328:Full text of
1327:
1325:
1321:
1320:
1316:Full text of
1315:
1314:
1310:
1301:
1295:
1291:
1290:
1282:
1279:
1274:
1268:
1264:
1263:
1255:
1252:
1241:
1237:
1231:
1228:
1224:(4): 648–668.
1223:
1219:
1215:
1208:
1205:
1200:
1194:
1190:
1189:
1181:
1178:
1173:
1167:
1163:
1162:
1154:
1151:
1146:
1142:
1138:
1134:
1130:
1126:
1122:
1115:
1112:
1107:
1103:
1099:
1095:
1091:
1087:
1083:
1076:
1074:
1072:
1070:
1068:
1064:
1059:
1053:
1049:
1048:
1040:
1038:
1034:
1029:
1023:
1019:
1018:
1010:
1008:
1006:
1002:
997:
991:
987:
986:
978:
976:
974:
970:
965:
959:
955:
954:
946:
944:
942:
938:
933:
927:
923:
922:
914:
912:
910:
908:
906:
904:
902:
900:
898:
894:
889:
885:
881:
877:
870:
868:
866:
864:
862:
860:
858:
856:
854:
852:
850:
848:
846:
844:
840:
835:
831:
827:
823:
819:
815:
811:
804:
802:
800:
798:
796:
792:
787:
781:
777:
776:
768:
766:
762:
751:
747:
741:
739:
737:
735:
733:
731:
729:
727:
723:
718:
715:(in Polish).
714:
710:
703:
701:
697:
692:
686:
682:
681:
674:
672:
670:
666:
661:
657:
653:
649:
645:
641:
637:
633:
629:
622:
620:
618:
616:
614:
612:
610:
608:
604:
597:
595:
593:
589:
588:fait accompli
585:
577:
573:
569:
565:
564:The Year 2440
561:
559:
555:
551:
547:
543:
539:
535:
531:
526:
524:
520:
519:
514:
513:Mary Griffith
510:
509:
504:
500:
496:
492:
491:The Year 2440
488:
486:
485:
480:
479:Francis Bacon
476:
472:
471:Enlightenment
468:
464:
463:
458:
457:Samuel Madden
454:
450:
446:
442:
438:
434:
430:
426:
422:
418:
414:
410:
403:
401:
398:
396:
395:
390:
386:
382:
378:
373:
369:
365:
361:
353:
349:
345:
341:
339:
335:
331:
330:Ancien RĂ©gime
326:
324:
319:
315:
311:
307:
303:
302:
301:Ancien RĂ©gime
296:
292:
286:
284:
282:
278:
274:
270:
267:. The future
266:
262:
258:
254:
249:
247:
243:
239:
235:
234:foreign trade
231:
227:
223:
219:
215:
211:
207:
203:
199:
195:
191:
182:
180:
178:
174:
169:
167:
163:
159:
157:
152:
151:
146:
145:
140:
139:
134:
130:
129:
119:
113:
109:
105:
101:
95:
92:Van Harrevelt
91:
87:
84:
81:
77:
73:
69:
65:
61:
57:
53:
49:
46:
43:
39:
34:
28:
23:
1379:
1375:
1353:. Retrieved
1351:. 2024-03-06
1348:
1329:
1318:
1288:
1281:
1261:
1254:
1243:. Retrieved
1239:
1230:
1221:
1217:
1207:
1187:
1180:
1160:
1153:
1128:
1124:
1114:
1089:
1085:
1046:
1016:
984:
952:
920:
879:
820:(1): 20–38.
817:
813:
774:
753:. Retrieved
749:
716:
712:
679:
635:
631:
583:
563:
562:
527:
516:
511:(1835), and
506:
498:
490:
489:
484:New Atlantis
482:
466:
460:
452:
444:
408:
407:
399:
393:
388:
384:
380:
376:
371:
367:
357:
351:
329:
321:
299:
297:
293:
290:
250:
210:pastry chefs
194:Public space
186:
170:
155:
154:
149:
148:
143:
142:
137:
136:
127:
126:
125:
32:
31:Title page,
1438:1771 novels
719:(1): 21–37.
495:Betje Wolff
310:Inquisition
281:no military
277:no religion
273:egalitarian
1407:Categories
1355:2024-04-23
1245:2020-10-20
755:2020-10-20
598:References
568:dissidence
487:(1626).
404:Discussion
160:is a 1771
63:Translator
1388:0016-111X
1338:Volume II
1137:0016-111X
1098:0091-7729
888:0017-8136
826:0010-4132
660:143541029
652:1938-6133
584:L'An 2440
572:prophetic
534:abolition
409:L'An 2440
89:Publisher
1334:Volume I
1145:25479838
834:40246814
523:progress
501:(1777),
455:(1659),
447:(1644),
437:uchronia
338:Voltaire
334:Rousseau
318:Holy See
257:pacifist
196:and the
71:Language
1349:YouTube
1106:4241146
558:dowries
554:divorce
550:hegemon
530:slavery
269:utopian
242:immoral
218:slavery
206:beggars
188:of the
133:English
1396:387801
1394:
1386:
1296:
1269:
1195:
1168:
1143:
1135:
1104:
1096:
1054:
1024:
992:
960:
928:
886:
832:
824:
782:
687:
658:
650:
580:
379:(lit.
336:or to
314:burned
230:guilds
110:France
74:French
41:Author
1392:JSTOR
1141:JSTOR
1102:JSTOR
830:JSTOR
656:S2CID
383:with
226:taxes
202:monks
162:novel
79:Genre
1384:ISSN
1294:ISBN
1267:ISBN
1193:ISBN
1166:ISBN
1133:ISSN
1094:ISSN
1052:ISBN
1022:ISBN
990:ISBN
958:ISBN
926:ISBN
884:ISSN
822:ISSN
780:ISBN
685:ISBN
648:ISSN
582:...
525:.
362:and
279:and
183:Plot
120:1772
102:1771
640:doi
515:'s
505:'s
497:'s
481:'s
459:'s
451:'s
443:'s
370:or
168:.
164:by
147:or
1409::
1390:.
1380:45
1378:.
1374:.
1347:.
1336:,
1332::
1238:.
1222:22
1220:.
1216:.
1139:.
1129:78
1127:.
1123:.
1100:.
1090:30
1088:.
1084:.
1066:^
1036:^
1004:^
972:^
940:^
896:^
882:.
878:.
842:^
828:.
818:29
816:.
812:.
794:^
764:^
748:.
725:^
717:33
699:^
668:^
654:.
646:.
636:40
634:.
630:.
606:^
427:.
350:,
340:.
283:.
271:,
236:,
232:,
228:,
224:,
220:,
216:,
212:,
135:,
1398:.
1358:.
1302:.
1275:.
1248:.
1201:.
1174:.
1147:.
1108:.
1060:.
1030:.
998:.
966:.
934:.
890:.
836:.
788:.
758:.
693:.
662:.
642::
325:.
158:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
