Meccania
Encyclopedia
Meccania: the Super-State is a dystopian novel
first published in 1918
. It is noteworthy as "A remarkable forecast of the origin and development of totalitarianism
...."
The author's name was Gregory Owen - he was a schools inspector for many years, and lived in Ealing, West London and then in Chelmsford, Essex and died in the late 40's early 50's. He was a deep thinking man and worried about many things including the state of the country. (Occasionally, secondary sources have mistakenly reversed the name, and attributed Meccania to "Gregory Owen.")
Most of the book describes the fictional country of "Meccania," a nation in Central Europe with obvious resemblances to Germany: Meccania is surrounded by "Franconia" (France), "Luniland" (Britain), and "Lugrabia" (Russia). Meccania is a place where dissenters are sent to mental hospitals and concentration camps. The state maintains a eugenic
breeding program, and commands its common citizens when to have children. All letters are censored, and all telephone conversations are monitored. All citizens wear the uniforms of their occupational classes. Among the very complex regulations of the Super-State are those regarding control of worker fatigue: if a given worker's calculated fatigue level is below average, he must work more hours until he is as tired as his compatriots.
The novel's frame story is set in the future (from the novel's perspective) year 1970. A young Chinese traveler named Ming Yuen-hwuy enters Meccania for a five-month stay. Ming's diary and notes describe his dreary and dehumanizing sojourn in a country where the militaristic government dominates social life. Meccania, a place of "perpetual propaganda...," presents the visitor with "an odd mixture of arrogance, xenophobia, over-punctiliousness, over-organization, chauvinism, and rigidity...." Ming is constantly observed by official guides. Ming provokes his state minders when he tries to find a newspaper; he gets into more trouble when the personal record he is required to keep does not match the records of his guides with perfect exactness.
Ming also learns the history of Meccania — how "Bludiron" (Otto von Bismarck
) organized the nation to resist the socialism of "Spotts" (a pun on the surname of Karl Marx
).
"Gregory" even includes an eerie anticipation of the Nazi-Soviet Pact
. In his novel, Meccania and Lugurbria have an alliance—but when Lugrabia is reluctant to accept new treaty terms, the Meccanians threaten an air assault.
Meccania, the "most prophetic" work of its genre, "anticipates the petty social despotism of Stalinism as well as the corrupt militarism of Hitlerism."
Utopian and dystopian fiction
The utopia and its offshoot, the dystopia, are genres of literature that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction is the creation of an ideal world, or utopia, as the setting for a novel. Dystopian fiction is the opposite: creation of a nightmare world, or dystopia...
first published in 1918
1918 in literature
The year 1918 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The 2nd annual Pulitzer Prizes are awarded.* Author Hall Caine made a KBE.*Robert Graves marries Nancy Nicholson...
. It is noteworthy as "A remarkable forecast of the origin and development of totalitarianism
Totalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
...."
The author's name was Gregory Owen - he was a schools inspector for many years, and lived in Ealing, West London and then in Chelmsford, Essex and died in the late 40's early 50's. He was a deep thinking man and worried about many things including the state of the country. (Occasionally, secondary sources have mistakenly reversed the name, and attributed Meccania to "Gregory Owen.")
Most of the book describes the fictional country of "Meccania," a nation in Central Europe with obvious resemblances to Germany: Meccania is surrounded by "Franconia" (France), "Luniland" (Britain), and "Lugrabia" (Russia). Meccania is a place where dissenters are sent to mental hospitals and concentration camps. The state maintains a eugenic
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
breeding program, and commands its common citizens when to have children. All letters are censored, and all telephone conversations are monitored. All citizens wear the uniforms of their occupational classes. Among the very complex regulations of the Super-State are those regarding control of worker fatigue: if a given worker's calculated fatigue level is below average, he must work more hours until he is as tired as his compatriots.
The novel's frame story is set in the future (from the novel's perspective) year 1970. A young Chinese traveler named Ming Yuen-hwuy enters Meccania for a five-month stay. Ming's diary and notes describe his dreary and dehumanizing sojourn in a country where the militaristic government dominates social life. Meccania, a place of "perpetual propaganda...," presents the visitor with "an odd mixture of arrogance, xenophobia, over-punctiliousness, over-organization, chauvinism, and rigidity...." Ming is constantly observed by official guides. Ming provokes his state minders when he tries to find a newspaper; he gets into more trouble when the personal record he is required to keep does not match the records of his guides with perfect exactness.
Ming also learns the history of Meccania — how "Bludiron" (Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
) organized the nation to resist the socialism of "Spotts" (a pun on the surname of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
).
"Gregory" even includes an eerie anticipation of the Nazi-Soviet Pact
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact
The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, named after the Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov and the German foreign minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, was an agreement officially titled the Treaty of Non-Aggression between Germany and the Soviet Union and signed in Moscow in the late hours of 23 August 1939...
. In his novel, Meccania and Lugurbria have an alliance—but when Lugrabia is reluctant to accept new treaty terms, the Meccanians threaten an air assault.
Meccania, the "most prophetic" work of its genre, "anticipates the petty social despotism of Stalinism as well as the corrupt militarism of Hitlerism."