Final answer:
Ideal societies in literature are often depicted as utopias, exemplifying perfect and harmonious communities, whereas nonideal societies, or dystopias, display flawed and oppressive systems. Notable works such as Orwell's 1984 and Howells's A Modern Instance explore these concepts through the lens of totalitarian control and realistic fiction, respectively. Utopian socialism also reflects the historical attempts to approach such societal ideals.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ideal versus Nonideal Societies in Literature
In literature, ideal societies are often portrayed as utopias, which are places of perfection in terms of politics, law, and society. They reflect the human desire for a harmonious community where social conflict is minimized, and everything works for the betterment of its members. On the other hand, nonideal societies, or dystopias, depict societies ridden with flaws and issues such as totalitarian governments, extreme class divisions, and the suppression of individual freedoms. These contrast strongly with the idealistic notions of society and serve to criticize current societal flaws or to warn against certain ideological trajectories.
Literary works such as George Orwell's 1984 and Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man present nonideal societies, exposing different forms of totalitarian control and the struggles of individuals within these societies. Similarly, William Dean Howells preferred realism in literature, portraying the complexities of everyday life and realistic personal conflicts, as shown in his works A Modern Instance and The Rise of Silas Lapham.
In contrast, earlier thinkers like Henri de Saint-Simon and Charles Fourier envisioned utopian socialism, theorizing about societies based on cooperation and equality. Their radical ideas were attempts to construct societal frameworks that could enable a more ideal mode of living, as was notably attempted in practice by Robert Owen.