Utopia . . . by Thomas More
This month’s featured text is Utopia. . . by Thomas More (1478-1535). Thomas More was the son of Sir John More and Agnes Graunger, both prominent merchant families in London. He was the second of seven children. More studied at St. Anthony's school, London, Canterbury College, Oxford, and Newe Inne at the Inns of Court (for legal training). He also served for a time at the court of Cardinal John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Chancellor. More married Jane Colt (1489-1511) with whom he had 4 children and after her death he married Alice Middleton (ca. 1474-1551), the widow of a wealthy merchant. Between 1504 and 1518, More served as a member of Parliament, a justice of the peace, and an undersherrif of the city of London. By 1518, More was a member of the King's Council; he was knighted in 1521, became royal secretary in 1526, and became Lord Chancellor in 1529. In 1530, Henry VIII sought to divorce his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and in order to do began legal maneuverings to declare himself supreme head of the Church in England. This was position More could not morally accept, so he resigned the chancellorship in 1532 and when asked to swear an oath declaring Henry supreme head of the church in 1534, he refused, was imprisoned, and eventually executed on July 6, 1535.

In addition to More's reputation as a martyr, Roman Catholic saint, and subject of a popular play by Robert Bolt, More is also well known as an author and scholar. More collaborated with another well known scholar of the time, Erasmus, in a translation of Lucian (1506), an unfinished History of Richard III, and, most famously Utopia (1516). Utopia stands as one of the most influential books of the sixteenth century. It is a complex book with many possible interpretations. It is a formulation of a perfect society on the fictional island of Utopia (meaning nowhere in Greek), a critique of early modern English and European society, and a book meant to advise the closely knit community of scholars and like minded humanists toward reform. It continues to be interpreted and re-interpreted in a variety of ways and has had influence on thinkers up to the present day. It continues to spark debate about how one should reform society, how a person of good conscience should approach reform in a corrupt society, and how the study of past literature can help to shed light current problems.

Featured Text Archive