The Great Romance: a science fiction/utopian novelette

Dominic Alessio

The Great Romance, a science-fiction/utopian novelette, was published in two separate volumes in New Zealand in 1881. The first volume comprises 55 pages and, until recently, was apparently listed in only one published bibliography, Bagnall’s New Zealand National Bibliography to the Year 1960. The sole known original copy of volume 1 exists in the Alexander Turnbull Library (ATL), Wellington. Unlike the first volume, however, the second was presumed lost until the rediscovery of a single copy (of 39 pages) in the Hocken Library, Dunedin (ref: PA 176/5). Apparently it had once formed part of Dr. Hocken’s original collection. Both volumes are now included in Lyman Tower Sargent’s bibliography of New Zealand utopian literature. The novel, however, remains virtually unknown and has received attention only in specialist science fiction publications (Alessio 1993 and 1995).

The ATL copy of volume 1 has two title pages, one making Dunedin the place of publication, the other, Ashburton. The Dunedin title page was printed at the ‘Daily Times’ office, the Ashburton one at ‘The Guardian’ office. Bagnall, whose bibliographic entry is presumably based on the ATL copy, gives the place of publication as Ashburton, without offering any explanation for the discrepancy in the title pages. Since the Dunedin title is printed on yellow paper, whereas the paper of the Ashburton title and the rest of the novelette is white, and since nearly all the advertising is for Ashburton business firms, it seems likely that the Turnbull copy was printed entirely at Ashburton and that there was a special issue for Dunedin with different advertising.¹

The author’s name is given as ‘The Inhabitant’, a pseudonym common at the time for guidebooks in the United Kingdom and the United States. The choice of nomenclature appears appropriate for the work since both volumes purport to be, in part, a kind of guidebook from the point of view of a twentieth century traveller (John Brenton Hope) and his future-earth companions: volume 1 to a 22nd century Earth and an interstellar voyage of exploration, and volume 2 to the planet Venus. The second volume ends abruptly with Hope’s encounter with native ‘Venuses’ and his companions’ dangerous return voyage to Earth. As to the true identity of ‘The Inhabitant’, however, apart from the fact that Bagnall identifies one Honnor of Ashburton, nothing further is known.

The Great Romance is important both in the history of SF and in the history of New Zealand literature. First, the work’s frame story appears to be the inspiration for Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward 2000-1887 (1888), the most influential and widely read of all utopias. Secondly, it is another indicator of how widespread the writing and publishing of SF and utopian literature was in the nineteenth century. Thirdly, its rational ‘science’ element dealing with space travel in particular, makes it (along with Percy Greg’s 1880 publication of Across the Zodiac), a pivotal departure in SF. And fourthly, the work fits into a tradition of utopian/SF literature with a New Zealand thrust or theme, including the writings of such well-known authors as Samuel Butler, Jules Verne and Anthony Trollope.

Volume 1 is now reprinted below, Volume 2 will be republished in Kotare in March 1999 and an extended introduction to both will follow in the September 1999 issue of the journal. It is hoped that the resuscitation of a ‘lost’ yet nevertheless important New Zealand publication might lead to further research on the work. Perhaps eventually such research can shed light on the identity of the author, whether or not a volume 3 exists, and the possible connection between New Zealand and Edward Bellamy.

In the reproduction which follows the sometimes idiosyncratic punctuation has been lightly edited and obvious errors of spelling have been corrected without notice.