Story set in Plato's Republic

[lauram]

Does anyone know if there have been short stories set in Plato's Republic that have been published? I am interested in writing a short story in that setting, and I was wondering if it's been done before.
I know that I'll need to do more research than I have so far to make it as true to his vision as possible, but I wanted to know if it's been done before.
Thanks for any info.

[Summonere]

lauram:

Do you mean to set a story in the theoretical "perfect city," founded upon "the noble lie," as proposed in Plato's The Republic, or do you mean to set a story in the world in which Plato and his contemporaries existed and in which he wrote The Republic?

Though I've never read a story declaratively set in The Rebublic's "perfect city," analogues thereto may be said to exist in one form or another in fiction. Historical fiction no doubt is full of examples of the latter case.

[veinglory]

Setting stories in the perfect city sounds like an interesting idea--both utopian and dystopian. Preferably a bit more to it than having somebody discover the lie...?

[zeprosnepsid]

There are any number of utopian/dystopian stories that are inspired by Plato, but I can't think of any set directly in his Republic.

But you wonder what conflict of interest there could be in a perfect city =)

[lauram]

I was thinking of a city run by Plato's rules for the theoretical perfect city, which would have the philosopher kings making the rules, etc. while the common people were relegated to the regular toilings and such.

Thanks for all the info. :)

On a somewhat related note: my mom bought a cartoon version of Animal Farm for my daughters. It makes for a very strange and twisted children's cartoon. :Huh:

[veinglory]

Somethings for children are odd. I remember reading an illustrated childrens book version of 'A highwayman came Riding'. I'm like 8 and it's about a women who shoots her breast off to warn her lover to escape, and then he comes back for revenge and is gunned down -- with illustrations of both scenes. Weird, (I loved it though, maybe that was when I started getting 'warped' ;) )


Back on topic. I was reading something recently that is very much on these lines. A walled city run by largely hereditary mages which seems perfect because it is regulated to seem that way. Mages son runs of with a unicorn Major fantasy author, recent? I found it a bit dull but it was a top seller... (anyone know what its' called?)

[lauram]

Yep that is a weird book for a child. :) Besides, you're not warped, you're interesting.

I haven't heard of that book. If you think of the title let me know.

Thanks again.

[Richard]

Wouldn't cutting to the chase and just screaming really, really loudly without the self-mutilation have done just as well? I mean, do that and you just say 'I saw a spider!', rather than having to make one of the trickiest explanations in history...

[write4details]

Interesting, that's the first time I've heard the "breast shot" interpretation of that poem...most people always assumed that she killed herself. Maybe the book toned it down to a mastectomy to make it nicer for kids :-)

I like your idea of trouble in utopia. Not quite like that, but of similar theme is the old Sean Connery movie Zardoz...worth any writer's attention for several reasons, one of which is "where did a name like zarcoz come from" and it's a gasser.

But anyway, it's a perfect society except that it occasionally gets preyed on by people like Connery who rape them and kill them and such. Which it turns out is fine with them because they need a releif from the perfection.

[MadScientistMatt]

Well, I remember when I was a little kid, my mother read the uncensored versions of Grimm's Fairy Tales to me. They were often pretty horrifying - one that I can still remember is that the prince who was in love with Rapunzel got thrown out of the tower, landed in a thorn bush, and lost both his eyes from that fall. And a lot of the other ones involved mutilation or graphic injuries. I would not want an authentic fairy tale romance, I can tell you that!