News from Nowhere · Chapter
XIII: Concerning Politics explained
The Guest asks Old Hammond how society manages politics in the new world.
What happens
The Guest asks Old Hammond how society manages politics in the new world. Hammond replies with a smile that they are well off because they have no politics, and suggests the Guest should put that answer in a chapter by itself, like Horrebow's 'Snakes in Iceland.'
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this passage, the narrative reaches its dramatic climax because the protagonist faces an intense emotional…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Politics and Governance
The chapter directly addresses the question of politics in the new society, concluding that politics as known in the 19th century no longer exists.
Characters to notice
- Guest
The Guest asks about politics in the new society.
- Old Hammond
Old Hammond answers the Guest's question about politics, stating that they have none.
Key passages
“How do you manage with politics?”
The Guest asks how society handles political matters.
The Guest's opening question sets the topic of the chapter.
“we are very well off as to politics—because we have none.”
We are doing very well regarding politics because we have no politics at all.
Old Hammond's key statement that politics is absent in the new world.
