L’utopie sexuelle dans les récits fictionnels de voyage au XVIIIe siècle

Abstract

In this paper the idea of utopia is analysed through concepts like gender and sexuality. The corpus is made up of novels and essays published during the two last decades of the 18th century dealing with imaginary travels to fantastic countries. In these novels and essays there is a subversion of gender relationships: heroes travel to unreal territories where gender dualism no longer exists. These utopias draw an alternative geography of gender and sexuality in last 18th century fiction. Utopia establishes transgender interference and sex war; however, the denouement is distinguished by the return of binarism.