Utopia is the name given by Sir Thomas More to an imaginary island in this political work written in 1516. Book I of Utopia, a dialogue, presents a perceptive analysis of contemporary social, economic, and moral ills in England. Book II is a narrative describing a country run according to the ideals of the English humanists, where poverty, crime, injustice, and other ills do not exist. Locating his island in the New World, More bestowed it with everything to support a perfectly organized and happy people.
The name of this fictitious place, Utopia, coined by More, passed into general usage and has been applied to all such ideal fictions, fantasies, and blueprints for the future, including works by Rabelais, Francis Bacon, Samuel Butler, and several by H. G. Wells, including his A Modern Utopia.
Surprisingly apropos as civilization enters the twenty-first century, Sir Thomas More's Utopia offers a perceptive analysis of social, economic, and moral hypocrisies in sixteenth-century England through a portrait of an ideal world on an imaginary island. In this perfect communal world the sparkling of the stars is valued above precious gems. But elements of hypocrisy creep in--as revealed in More's offhand acceptance of slavery and misogyny. Through James Adams's skillful narration one envisions More standing at a lectern in historical garb. Adams's deep, measured tones lend weight to the utopian portrayal, as do his accurate pronunciations of the names of Greek philosophers. The disparity between More's world of harmony and balance and the real events of the last 500 years makes this work all the more relevant. A.W. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
About the Author
Sir Thomas More (1478-1535), an eminent Renaissance humanist, was a statesman, poet, author, and saint. Despite their long friendship, King Henry VIII still had him executed for his Catholic loyalty, refusing to acknowledge the king over the pope.
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