My third of 20 books is behind me now. Loving the momentum I’ve got at the moment, and hoping I can keep it going as the year goes on. This last was Utopia by Saint Thomas More, written in 1515 (and quoted in the ever amazing, Ever After). A short book, divided into two parts, it was written as a reflection on the nature of politics, the search for a perfect society and perhaps even the nature of man. One of the more intriguing mysteries of the book is whether it was written as a serious suggestion for ideal living, or a parody of that search entirely.
What I enjoyed: a pleasant and witty book for the mind to roam
I think it is built into our nature to long for a perfect world. Reflecting on the possibility of this perfection has consumed us since the beginning. We’ve spent a great deal of time searching for the perfect system and trying to create it too. Reading about a harmonious world is certainly enjoyable, especially when the real world can feel very much the opposite!
I enjoyed the fanciful nature of the book, where the island of Utopia exists in a peaceful and simple harmony. There was some food for reflection here. Would we really be better off without personal property? What about if there was no money? More posits the idea of shorter working weeks with more leisure time leading to more productive societies, way back in 1515. I personally think that would absolutely be the case. Look how much productivity increased when we got to work from home and lost the commute.
Thomas More is also a very witty chap. I’d never considered him a funny guy before. Maybe the whole medievil-lawyer-matrydom combination biased me. But he really is quite funny. If you’re paying attention or know a bit about the era, you can find quite a few little gems in Utopia. Even the name of the island itself is an in-joke (I won’t spoil it, read the book).
What I struggled with: slavery in paradise?
A surprising quirk of this book is the fact that slavery, the death penalty, divorce and euthanasia all made an appearance. For some reason, I had assumed that More was writing from the perspective of a Catholic paradise, given his faith. However, it turns out that his thought experiment dealt with a ‘pagan’ nation, without any set, recognised religion.
It caught me off guard, and I struggled to see how it fit into the idea of a perfect society. Then I thought, perhaps that’s the point. You can’t really tell whether More is putting forth the fictional island as a serious suggestion or to parody the idea of a perfect life. The addition of these ethical concerns made me think that perhaps he was showing how impossible perfection is.
To be honest, I’m still not entirely sure what the thrust of this book was. I don’t love that (but uncertainty and I are not best mates). All the same, it was a good bit of brain food. There’s plenty to discuss in this small volume around ethics, politics and the nature of humanity. Give it a try, old mate Tom might surprise you.
I also enjoyed Utopia! I found it interesting to compare it to the ideal world described by Plato in the Republic to More’s ideal world, with More seeming to Christianize his world a bit more (despite the pagan elements you mention) and generally fleshing it out with more detail. Both books also have the question of whether the ideal world is proposed in a genuine way or as an argument against idealism.
Keep up the book reviews! Really enjoying this series.
Thank you for reading! You make a good link to Plato’s Republic, which I believe More had read as well. It’s a question we could ponder for a long time, whether these perfect worlds are meant to be taken seriously, or whether they were laughing at the ridiculous things you’d have to do to be perfect. What was your conclusion? Serious or parody?
To be honest I never worked it out. The general tone indicated to me that More was supportive of Utopia as an idea, but the contradictions between his well known personal beliefs and some of the customs in Utopia seem to indicate otherwise. The translations of the Greek names also points to it being a satire. Perhaps it’s even possible that he was undecided or leaving it to the reader to decide for themselves?
[…] This last week I got through three of my 20 books/plays for the year. That brings me to a grand total of six, which feels crazy fast. Maybe I could have done more books? And yet, there’s still War and Peace hanging in the background … You can read the earlier reviews here, here and here. […]