Utopia

Thomas More

2009. g. janv. · Cosimo, Inc.

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Subtitled "On the best state of a republic and on the new island of Utopia," this is the legendary 1516 political satire that, in its attempts to mock the English king Henry VIII, gave birth to an entire genre of imaginative fiction exploring the possibilities of the "perfect" society. Debate continues to rage among scholars of the Renaissance today whether More actually believed in the socialist, equalitarian concepts he espoused in *Utopia,* some of which seem unlikely positions for a wealthy, powerful man whose actions as a public figure were often at odds with them. But this remains a foundational work of Western thought and literature, and essential reading for anyone who wishes to be considered well read. English statesman and writer SIR THOMAS MORE (1478-1535) is best remembered as both a humanist scholar and a religious martyr: he was beheaded by King Henry VIII for refusing to acknowledge the monarch as the head of the Church of England.

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Born in London, the son of a judge, More became an important statesman and scholar. He was also one of the most eminent humanists of the Renaissance. Educated at Oxford, More became an under-sheriff of London and, later, a member of Parliament. Under King Henry VIII he served as Treasurer of the Exchequer, speaker of the House of Commons, and, finally, Lord Chancellor. More is probably best known for his Utopia, which was written in Latin (then the language of literary and intellectual Europe). It was translated into English in 1551. As the first part of this small masterpiece indicates, when More was weighing the offer to be an adviser to Henry VIII he was well aware of the compromises, bitterness, and frustration that such an office involved. In the second part, More develops his famous utopia---a Greek word punning on the meanings "a good place" and "no place"---a religious, communistic society where the common ownership of goods, obligatory work for everyone, and the regular life of all before the eyes of all ensure that one's baser nature will remain under control. Inspired by Plato's (see Vols. 3 and 4) Republic, More's Utopia became in turn the urbane legacy of the humanistic movement (in which More's friends were most notably Erasmus (see Vol. 4), John Colet, and William Grocyn) to succeeding ages. More also wrote a history, Richard III, which, if arguably the first instance of modern historiography in its attention to character and its departure from chronicle, is also, in its responsiveness to the Tudor polemic of divine rights, largely responsible for the notorious reputation of Richard as an evil ruler. More's refusal to recognize Henry VIII as Head of the Church led to a sentence of high treason. Imprisoned for more than a year, he was finally beheaded. Eventually, More was granted sainthood.