UTOPIA (Wisehouse Classics Edition)

Thomas More

Summary

UTOPIA (Libellus vere aureus, nec minus salutaris quam festivus, de optimo rei publicae statu deque nova insula Utopia) is a work of fiction and political philosophy by Thomas More (1478-1535) published in 1516 in Latin. The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs.

The work begins with written correspondence between Thomas More and several people he had met on the continent: Peter Gilles, town clerk of Antwerp, and Hieronymus van Busleyden, counselor to Charles V. More chose these letters, which are communications between actual people, to further the plausibility of his fictional land. In the same spirit, these letters also include a specimen of the Utopian alphabet and its poetry. The letters also explain the lack of widespread travel to Utopia; during the first mention of the land, someone had coughed during announcement of the exact longitude and latitude. The first book tells of the traveller Raphael Hythlodaeus, to whom More is introduced in Antwerp, and it also explores the subject of how best to counsel a prince, a popular topic at the time. In the second part, Utopia is placed in the New World and More links Raphael's travels in with Amerigo Vespucci's real life voyages of discovery. He suggests that Raphael is one of the 24 men Vespucci, in his Four Voyages of 1507, says he left for six months at Cabo Frio, Brazil. Raphael then travels further and finds the island of Utopia, where he spends five years observing the customs of the natives.

Most scholars see it as some kind of comment or criticism of contemporary European society, for the evils of More's day are laid out in Book I and in many ways apparently solved in Book II. Indeed, UTOPIA has many of the characteristics of satire, and there are many jokes and satirical asides such as how honest people are in Europe, but these are usually contrasted with the simple, uncomplicated society of the Utopians.

Available since: 11/17/2015.

Other books that might interest you

The First Murder

Carol Goodman Kaufman

The ME ruled her death an accident. He was dead wrong.
 
When Mary Jane Bennett is found dead in her bed— alone, strangled by her own scarf, and with every door in the house locked — the medical examiner rules her death accidental, the result of a sex game gone horribly awry. State police decline to investigate further, but Queensbridge Police Chief Caleb Crane doesn't buy for a minute that his good friend died this way, so he undertakes his own investigation. Facing town councilors afraid of bad publicity, an angry medical examiner, and his own personal demons, he labors to solve what he believes is the first-ever murder in his pastoral Berkshire Hills village. Complicating things: the list of suspects includes some of the people to whom he is closest — including his own wife.
 
“. . . [a] smartly-paced debut novel . . .”—Gerald Elias, author of the Daniel Jacobus mystery series
 
“. . . one of my favorite mystery reads this year . . . With a talent reminiscent of Louise Penny, Kaufman creates a small town ambience of alliances and hidden resentments among characters whose humanity draws you in while raising your suspicions. The First Murder is an engaging and intriguing journey to an exciting conclusion.”—Sharon Healy-Yang, author of the Jessica Minton Mystery Series
 
“. . . [a] deftly constructed debut novel [that] kept me guessing until the very end.”—Leslie Wheeler, award-winning author of the Berkshire Hilltown Mysteries

Show book

A Slice of Murder

Marissa De Luna

A groom-to-be is cut down at his engagement party, and solving the case won’t be a piece of cake . . . Shilpa Solanki’s talent is making sure that special occasions are accompanied by special cakes, and her first booking after her move to Devon, England—where she’s inherited a house in Otter’s Reach—is a posh engagement party for Mason Connolly and Harriet Drew. Unfortunately, a knife has been used for something other than cutting the cake. Now Shilpa is working to uncover layers of secrets and scandals in hopes of identifying the killer who permanently parted Mason and Harriet—and before she’s done, someone else might get iced . . .

Show book

The Fuhrer's Orphans

David Laws

In this moving novel based on true events, a teacher and a British spy discover a group of children hiding from the Nazis in WWII Munich. 
 
When their parents are taken to concentration camps, twenty-seven children are left alone, hungry, and scared. Claudia Kellner, a German elementary school teacher, discovers the group hiding in a deserted Munich railroad yard. Only able to hide two of them in her home, she is desperate to find shelter for the others. 
 
Meanwhile, British spy Peter Chesham has penetrated Third Reich territory. But his critical mission is interrupted when he discovers the orphans’ hiding place. Following through on his orders would have fatal consequences for them. But giving up could mean losing the war. Now Peter and Claudia must work together, attempting an impossible rescue operation with the children’s lives—and the fate of the world—at stake.

Show book

The Malykant Mysteries -...

Charlotte E. English

To catch a killer, send a monster.
 
There's a realm. Wreathed in ice and snow, drowning in the dark, Assevan needs a different kind of hero.
 
There's a god. Merciless and cold, and quick to anger, the Lord of the Dead insists upon one thing only: vengeance for a murdered soul.
 
And there's a man. A ruthless killer, Konrad is detective, judge and executioner in one. Dauntless, relentless, monstrous, he stands alone against the dark.
 
Meet the Malykant. Justice will be served. 
 
For the first time, all twelve Konrad Savast murder mysteries are collected in one volume! This gigantic compendium includes:
 
DEATH'S DETECTIVE: The Rostikov Legacy, The Ivanov Diamond, Myrrolen’s Ghost Circus and Ghostspeaker
 
DEATH'S AVENGER: The Corpse Thieves, The Spirit of Solstice, The House at Divoro and Snowbound 
 
DEATH'S EXECUTIONER: The Zolin Conspiracy, The Tarasov Despite, The Malefic Curse and Shandral 
 
Dive deep into Konrad's icy world. Binge the whole series in one volume.

Show book