History of the Sevarambians

The History of Sevarambians is a utopian novel by Denis Vairasse published in 1675 as The History of the Sevarites or Sevarambi.

Originally published in English, it was quickly translated into French and expanded, with parts two and three appearing in 1677 as L’Histoire des Sévarambes. Two further instalments were published in French in 1679. The novel did not appear in its completed form in English until 1738.[1]

The first part of the novel tells the story of a shipwreck that occurs during a voyage to Batavia. The ship The Golden Dragon, under Captain Siden, goes ashore in Terra Australis. The castaways make lives for themselves, sustaining themselves with agriculture, hunting and fishing. Due to the paucity of females present, most of the men shared one to a group of five men, except for the officers, who each were allowed their own wife. [2]

Influence

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, in his Théodicée, referenced the title of this work, using Sevarambian as a synonym for Utopian.[3]

References
  1. Vairasse, Denis, approximately 1630-approximately 1696. (2006). The history of the Sevarambians : a utopian novel. Laursen, John Christian., Masroori, Cyrus. Albany: State University of New York Press. pp. ix. ISBN 1423785487. OCLC 70278508.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Vairasse, Denis, approximately 1630-approximately 1696. (2006). The history of the Sevarambians : a utopian novel. Laursen, John Christian., Masroori, Cyrus. Albany: State University of New York Press. pp. x. ISBN 1423785487. OCLC 70278508.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm Freiherr von (1985). Theodicy: Essays on the Goodness of God, the Freedom of Man, and the Origin of Evil. Open Court Publishing. p. 129. ISBN 9780875484372.


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