The material on this page is available to AustLit subscribers. If you are a subscriber or are from a subscribing organisation, please log in to gain full access. To explore options for subscribing to this unique teaching, research, and publishing resource for Australian culture and storytelling, please contact us or find out more.
'Coetzee's "Jesus series" novels "Jesus's Childhood" and "Jesus's School Days" centered on the protagonist David's childhood and elementary school growth experience, shaping a utopian society free from exploitation and oppression. Based on Ernst Bloch’s philosophy of hope, this article analyzes the utopian world in the "Jesus Series" from the three dimensions of educational utopia, marriage utopia, and religious utopia, and finds that the author uses the utopian society in the novel. Constructs, reflects on and criticizes the various shortcomings of the current Western society, and its purpose of constructing utopian society is to awaken people’s inner utopian ideals and encourage people to transcend the shackles of the existing world and become free and comprehensive individuals, thus realizing people Liberation.' (Publication summary)