I did not find this futuristic fictional place of Castalia, where the intellectual elite trained, to my liking. I didn't want to be there, which isn't how usually people feel about utopian places. I found the lack of women in this “pedagogic province” belittling. I found the arrogance that comes out of this elitism very unappealing. The way Castalia was very disconnected from the outer world (who pay for the comfort and peace of these elite and whom the elites are supposed to be serving) was very objectionable. And when Joseph Knecht, the protagonist, called out these flaws in Castalia, I heartily agreed.