Thomas More – Utopia

So, let’s try this new layout for my Reviews, shall we?

Genre: Satire

Plot Outline: The narrator is conducting business in Antwerp when he chances to meet a well-travelled man with many stories to tell. The narrator becomes intrigued by the stranger’s manner of speaking and suggests that Raphael (the traveller) ought to instead be a counsellor to a king, to which Raphael replies a very firm negative through the use of past happenings. The narrator then asks Raphael to speak more at length of a place he called Utopia, and after lunching, he does exactly that; outlining its religion, social standings, commerce, laws and the pursuit of knowledge.

Characters: The interesting thing about this novel is that although each of the characters are separated from reality by the narrator, the names given to three of them are those of real people. Indeed, the narrator himself, Thomas More, is the author of the works. Peter Giles is another true persona, although the traveller who tells the tale (Raphael Hythloday), is entirely fictitious. The latter’s name is also a play on a Greek word, meaning nonsense. We can see even here at how the element of clever wordplay is used.

Style: Although structured and written in such a way as to allow for a flowing narration, at one or two points I did lose track of whether it was the narrator or Hythloday that was talking. In this sense, the book is very cleverly written, using a narration within a narration. Despite the one or two times that it could have been called a little confusing, the style was otherwise very reader-friendly.

Critics: This work has been seen as everything from Anti-Catholicism, Mormonism, all the way up to Communism. Its slight twist of ambiguity has laid the way for a great many interpretations of the text. Such critics include R.W. Chambers, and D. Bevington.

Personal Opinion: An incredibly witty, interesting view on society that is still mostly relevant today, over four hundred years after it was first published in Latin. In places, it was difficult not to chuckle out loud, although in an appreciative way for the author’s wit and wordplay rather than the actual events depicted in his writings. Admittedly, I also found myself disagreeing with the character of Raphael on a number of occasions, although on reflection that just indicates a fantastically immersive writing style. To anyone studying or interested in History, Politics or Sociology, I’d most definitely recommend this book.

Audience: 18+