Utopia by Thomas More (Book Analysis) E-Book

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• Kategorie: Bildung
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• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 19

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2016

Beschreibung

Unlock the more straightforward side of Utopia with this concise and insightful summary and analysis! This engaging summary presents an analysis of Utopia by Thomas More, based on the tales of a fictional explorer who visits an island society governed by wisdom and directed by the principles of justice, equality and happiness. As well as a riveting work of fiction, the work is significant in the domain of political philosophy, is responsible for coining the word ‘utopia’ as well as for the entire genre of utopian fiction, and has been translated from Latin into numerous languages. Thomas More was a noted Renaissance humanist whose philosophical writings are studied and respected to this day, and he has been venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church since 1935. Find out everything you need to know about Utopia in a fraction of the time! This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you: A complete plot summaryCharacter studiesKey themes and symbolsQuestions for further reflection Why choose BrightSummaries.com? Available in print and digital format, our publications are designed to accompany you in your reading journey. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time. See the very best of literature in a whole new light with BrightSummaries.com!

Leseprobe

Thomas More

English lawyer, Privy Councillor, humanist and theologian

Born in London in 1478Died there in 1535Notable works:Utopia (1516), novelEpigrammata (1520), collection of poemsSupplication of Souls (1529)

Born in London in 1478, Thomas More went on to study law. Elected as a Member of Parliament in 1504, he got married, had four children and acquired the position of undersheriff (local law enforcement) of London. He subsequently became part of Henry VIII’s Privy Council and undertook several diplomatic missions to France and the Netherlands: these enabled him to meet humanists of the time such as Guillaume Budé (1467-1536) and Erasmus (c. 1479-1536). He also visited monks and became very familiar with the Bible. He was an enemy of English Reformers and renounced their heresy in many writings that were published between 1529 and 1532. He was a devout Catholic and therefore refused to approve Henry VIII’s remarriage. He was convicted of high treason, beheaded and died.

Utopia

Journey to the land of nowhere

Genre: novelReference edition: More, T. (2012) Utopia. Trans. Baker-Smith, D. London: Penguin Classics.First edition: 1516Themes: society, politics, justice, equality, government, reason

Utopia appeared for the first time in 1516 and was soon highly successful. To go with In Praise of Folly that his friend Erasmus of Rotterdam had dedicated to him in 1509, he imagines a land governed by wisdom, a land which therefore exists “nowhere”. He presents the text as the tale of the journey of an explorer in a strange land. Using this device, he begins a critique of English society, incomparably inferior to this ideal land where justice, equality and happiness reign. He thus created the utopic genre which would continue to inspire authors for centuries to come.

Summary

Preface

Thomas More wrote a text in which he tells the story of a friend, Raphael Hythloday, for another friend, Peter Giles (Flemish humanist, 1486-1533). He asks Peter to verify the story’s accuracy, as he wishes for there to be no untruths in the book.

First book