Hythloday tells of peoples and nations south of the equator. There, Giles introduces him to Raphael Hythloday, a Portuguese with whom Amerigo Vespucci, the explorer of the New World, traveled to unknown territories. More speaks about his diplomatic mission to Flanders on behalf of the English king Henry VIII. About the Difficulty of Just Policymaking Furthermore, the philistines could find it too difficult and the learned too trivial, so he asks Giles for advice on whether to put it into print. More is still hesitating to publish the report. People might not like it and object to its wit, spirit and scorn. More regrets that he forgot to ask which sea the island of Utopia was located in, and asks Giles to add the information. Since Giles was also present when the explorer told his story, More asks the clerk to check the report for completeness. Thomas More writes in a letter to Peter Giles, the town clerk of Antwerp, that he is sending the transcript of an oral travelogue about the state of the Utopians by Raphael Hythloday. Preface on an Allegedly True Story from the Island of Utopia “For among them there is no unequal distribution, so that no man is poor, none in necessity, and though no man has anything, yet they are all rich.”.Utopia, which in Greek means nowhere, coined a new term and became the blueprint of utopian and dystopian fiction.
The extent to which the devout Catholic believed in such ideals himself remains unclear.
The fictional explorer puts forward early socialist, even communist ideas.In his work, Thomas More created the idealized image of a social state, thus criticizing the monarchical systems in Europe at the time.Everyone works and subordinates their interests to the common good, and no ruler can ever become too powerful. There is no private property, need or greed. Thomas More recounts a seafarer’s report of the island of Utopia, which reflects a distinct contrast to the prevailing social order of his times: All Utopians are equal – except for the slaves.Utopia is one of the most important political texts of the early modern era, and is responsible for shaping the genre of utopian fiction.
What is most important is that More moved beyond moralizing to envision what the utopian society might look like and thereby to start a long tradition of utopian and dystopian writing that remains as vital today as it was in 1516. Others may be simple speculation or even satire. Clearly, elements of Utopia reflect More’s ideals, and he may even have thought them practical – such as the treatment of criminals. While some elements of Utopia seem quite modern, others such as slavery and strict patriarchy can seem surprising. As the fictional narrator, a Portuguese seafarer, recounts how the Utopians deal with property, commerce, social relations, governance and even criminality, More explores how a constructive and humanist society might operate. Taking inspiration from the discoveries of the explorers, starting with the Portuguese navigators and Columbus, he placed his speculations of what a decent society would look like by inventing a description of a newly discovered land: Utopia. As the Renaissance spread to Northern Europe, Thomas More looked around him and keenly felt the difference between the rough and tumble of Tudor England versus the sort of society that would offer dignity and opportunity to his fellow men. Can the world be a better place? Are there rules and codes of conduct that would allow a society to exist in just and harmonious balance? As far back as records reach, people have struggled to understand what is necessary for a stable and contented world.
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