Sir Thomas More’s Utopia
Sir Thomas More’s Utopia is a “Christian Renaissance Humanist” mediation on the state of society in early 16th century England – and society in general. Even more broadly, the two books of Utopia delve deeply into More’s vision and definition of human nature and the role governmental authority plays in regulating and even “reforming” human nature.
In writing this first paper, will be working on two basic historical skills: how to approach the reading and interpretation of a difficult historical source, and how to use such sources to understand the past.[unique_solution]
Essay Question:
As we have been discussing in class, Renaissance humanists undertook what they perceived (rightly or wrongly) as the “rebirth” of many of the ideals of Classical Greek and Roman culture in order to address what they saw as the essential problems of society. Although Thomas More’s Utopia was written comparatively late in the Renaissance period, it remains at its core a Renaissance humanist reflection on the problems of society. In an essay (of no more than 4-5 typed pages, double-spaced, 12 point font) please explain which SPECIFIC elements of Utopian society (things like religion, the political order, economic organization, social customs, law and order, marriage and family life, gender relations, attitudes towards warfare, work, or education, etc.) embody the key interests of Renaissance humanists AND how they reveal or address the real concerns and real problems afflicting European society in More’s time.