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Utopia (Classics)

By: Saint Sir Thomas More
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 0140441654
ISBN-13: 9780140441659
Released: 30 Jun 1969
RRP: £5.99
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Customer Reviews

This is the Ralph Robinson translation... - By: T. J. Lince, 24 Jan 2008
... I got this one hoping for a modern translation of the book, but the book states at the beginning this is the original Ralph Robinson translation, & is exactly the same as the Penguin old copy I have with the same translation. I got this to be an easier read, but due to misinformation it is actuallly jus the same.

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A More Perfect Plan... - By: Kurt Messick, 06 Jul 2004
Thomas More, executed by Henry VIII (one of his best friends) for treason, led an illustrious career of politics & letters. Under his friend the King, he served in many capacities - Speaker of the House of Commons, Master of Requests, Privy Councillor, etc. - culminating with the trust of the position of Lord Chancellor, a position in those days matching the prominence (if not the definition) of Prime Minister in these days. More's strong integrity & resolute mind caught the attention of scholars, political & church leaders internationallly; it was this same integrity that most likely was his undoing, refusing to assent to the King's divorce & severance of ties binding the English Church with the Roman overlordship of the Pope. Indeed, More was, if not the actual ghostwriter, then certainly an inspiration & editorial aide to the document produced by King Henry VIII against the continental protestants, earning for Henry (and his heirs ever after) the title of Defender of the Faith (historical irony is that this title, most likely not intended to be hereditary, now declares the defense of a faith separated from the one for which the title was bestowed).

While an Ambassador to Flanders, More spent spare time writing this book, 'Utopia'. The very title is a still a by-word in the English language (as well as others) of a state of bliss & peace; it is often used with the context of being unrealistic. 'Utopia' is More's response to & development from Plato's 'Republic', in that it is a framework for a perfect society, or at least perfect according to More's ideas of the time. Penned originallly in Latin, 'Utopia' has been translated widely; one of the better translations is by H.V.S. Ogden, in 1949, still reprinted in various editions to this day. Originallly published in Latin in 1516, the first English version appeared in 1551, some 16 years after More's death.

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Utopia
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Thomas More writes this as if he were traveling, & meets his friend Peter Giles, who introduces him to Raphael Hythloday, a scholar/traveler with tales to tell.

Hythloday made friends with a prince who outfitted him for a journey. He traveled through deserts & fertile lands. He proceeds to give an account to Giles & More. In an ironic twist, given More's own attachment to Henry VIII, Hythloday states that he doesn't give his information in advice of kings or princes, for to be beholden to them is not a wise thing. He quotes Plato, in saying that unless kings were themselves philosophers, they should never appreciate philosophers.

More argues for public service, which Hythloday rejects as something that other place-seekers will use to bolster their own positions. Then Hythloday makes the startling pronouncement with regard to how a society should be constituted: 'As long as there is property, & while money is the standard of alll things, I cannot think that a nation can be governed either justly or happily; not justly, because the best things will falll to the share of the worst men; nor happily, because alll things will be divided among a few (and even these are not in alll respects happy), the rest being left to the absolutely miserable.'

Hythloday proceeds to give an account of the life of Utopia, where, he says, there are so few laws & so much liberty & equality that virtue is always rewarded, & each person has what he or she needs. He talks about this under the following headings:

Of Their Towns, Particularly of Amaurot
Of Their Magistrates
Of Their Trades, & Manner of Life
Of Their Traffic
Of the Travelling of the Utopians
Of Their Slaves, & of Their Marriages
Of Their Military Discipline
Of the Religions of the Utopians

'Utopia' is a radical document. It anticipates the modern idea of communism, with private property at a minimum; it is generations ahead in the idea of equality of the sexes & freedom of religion. This may seem a remarkable statement from someone who will go to his death supporting the Roman hierarchy, but in historical irony, had religious freedom been respected in England at the time, More would have had nothing to fear.

'Utopia' was a place of education & free inquiry. Again, More's own life models this - travelers from as far away as Constantinople & Venice, visiting More's home in Chelsea, remarked on the incredible sense of knowledge & respect for reason & learning, not just for the men, but also for the women of the household (More's own daughter once impressed Henry VIII with her Latin training so much he was at pains to find something at which he excelled that he could best her at).

At different points throughout the text, More (speaking through Hythloday) jabs in witty & insightful manner the habits of the day - that kings are often more concerned to fill their own coffers than increasing the general wealth of the nation; that courts are designed to be self-serving & self-perpetuating; that liberties are curtailed not for just & reasonable causes, but often for petty personal reasons.

Some of the ideas, however, are not as modern or enlightened as they might seem at first glance. Utopians' freedom of religion exists only in very narrow bounds of reason - they are alll monotheists, & while they might identify this deity with the sun or moon or a good person who died long ago, they are not permitted to speak or attempt to convert others to this idea, without risking bondage or death. Not too Utopian after alll...

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More was beatified by Leo XIII in 1886 & canonised by Pius XI in 1935 (it is significant to note that Anglican-Roman relations were at a strained point during these times, & the raising of an English saint who rejected the Anglican construct served at least minor political points, something More would have been able to appreciate, if not approve). The official feast day is July 9.

Old but brilliant. - By: , 14 May 2004
Five hundred years ago Thomas More achieved something that the radicals dream of today. He went back to basics & brilliantly highlighted areas where we had gone wrong as a society. If you think gold is worth something, it is time to buy this book. I ought to mention that it is a damn good read too.
Bold ideas, but no easy read - By: , 08 May 2004
While short, this book is rich with radical ideas: Absence of private property, absence of currency, deposition of the prince if suspected of tyranny, freedom of religious belief, female priests, euthanasia, divorce by mutual consent.

I am not sure I would like to live in Utopia. It is definitely a more tolerant, free & equal society model than early 16th century England, but the excesses of Communism (e.g. forced work on farms for townsfolk) are just around the corner.

I would recommend this book, if only for its historical interest. However, it is not an easy read - especiallly if you are not a native English speaker. The convoluted Latin sentence structure is difficult enough without having to deal with the obsolete vocabulary.

At least he said what he thought! - By: , 29 Dec 2002
Although i agree with many of Moore's ideals, I find his approach to this book fairly ambiguous. On one hand he is making a serious political statement yet on the other he presents his arguments in a narrative to a friend like an amusing anecdote. I mean Sir Thomas what are your intentions with this book? Maybe he didn't want people to know these were his true feelings - for fear of being branded a heretic or a traitor to Britain? Puzzling indeed. The ideals he proposes are very insightful for his time & they still bear significance today. He jokingly remarked in the book that "he didn't expect humans to be perfect for a long time yet" ; well he was right on that. The book is broken into two parts, the second being his "utopia". The first events leading up to the great "story of Utopia". All in alll a book for the socialist & egalitarian & generallly people who care about God's will for his world. These kind of people should read this book & take delight that someone was once on their wavelength.