The Year 2440

work by Mercier

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July 19, 2026

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L'An 2440 (The Year 2440) is a work of prophetic imagination by Louis-Sébastien Mercier. Published around 1771, it is considered a precursor to science fiction and a significant piece of political speculation.12

The book envisions a utopian society in the 25th century that reveres science. Unlike earlier utopian tales set in mythical lands, Mercier's work postulated a future earthly utopia, which was seen as a thinly veiled critique of the French monarchy. The ancien régime banned the book, but it became an international bestseller, influencing figures like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Mercier's work also foreshadowed the social commentary found in the novels of Honoré de Balzac.21

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Louis-Sébastien Mercier
…imagination, L’An 2440 (1770; “The Year 2440”), and Le Tableau de Paris (2 vol., 1781; 12 vol., 1782–89; “The Tableau of Paris”), a work that classifies social types in a way that foreshadows the novels of Honoré de Balzac.
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…imagination, L’An 2440 (1770; “The Year 2440”), and Le Tableau de Paris (2 vol., 1781; 12 vol., 1782–89; “The Tableau of Paris”), a work that classifies social types in a way that foreshadows the novels of Honoré de Balzac.
Read More