"Utopia," by Sir Thomas More, is part of the "Barnes & Noble
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One of the most influential books in the Western philosophical and
literary tradition, Sir Thomas More's "Utopia" appeared in 1516.
The formidable Henry VIII had recently assumed the throne in
England, and conflicting ideas about religion were fueling the
Reformation throughout Europe. A scathing satire, "Utopia" was
hugely successful and vaulted More to the forefront of the growing
humanist movement.
The story of "Utopia" is told by a mysterious sailor named Raphael
Hythloday, who travels to the New World with the Italian explorer
Vespucci and remains at a fort builtat the farthest point reached.
From there, he discovers a strange island kingdom named Utopia, a
pagan and communist city-state in which language, social customs,
dress, architecture, and education are identical throughout the
country's fifty-four cities. The Utopians have eliminated wealth,
the nobility, and currency. Labor and goods are distributed equally
and property is held in common. And there are no monasteries,
alehouses, or academies to tempt a person to withdraw from society.
Given More's satiric leanings and eventual execution, is "Utopia"
simply an attack on Europe's wickedness? Or is it a philosophical
tract extolling the ideal way to live? Ultimately," Utopia"
navigates a course between the desire to create perfection and the
pragmatic understanding that perfection, given the fallibility of
mankind, is impossible.
Wayne A. Rebhorn is Celanese Centennial Professor of English at the
University of Texas at Austin. He has written extensively on
Renaissance literature in English, Italian, French, Spanish, and
Latin, on authors from Boccaccio through More and Shakespeare down
to Milton.
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