Utopia - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

About This Presentation
Title:

Utopia

Description:

Similar Works. Jonathon Swift Gulliver s Travels. George Orwell 1984. Aldous Huxley Brave New World. Russell Hoban Riddley. Walker. Ursula K. Le Guin – PowerPoint PPT presentation

Number of Views:536
Avg rating:3.0/5.0
Slides: 24
Provided by: davidg354
Category:
Tags: orwell | utopia

less

Transcript and Presenter's Notes

Title: Utopia


1
Utopia
2
Original Latin title De Optimo Reipublicae
Statu dequenova insula Utopia libellus vere
aureus, nec minus salutaris quam festivus,
clarissimi disertissimique viri Thomae Mori
inclytae civitatis Londinensis civis
Vicecomitis.
3
In English, the simplified title readsThe Best
State of a Commonwealth and the New Island of
UtopiaAs translated by Richards, C. G. and Rev.
Edward Surz, S.J., The Longman Anthology
British Literature, Fourth ed., pp. 714-784. New
York Longman, 2010. Print.
4
Definition
  • UtopiaThomas More created this word, derived
    from Greek. It roughly translates to no place,
    or a land that does not exist.
  • In the common English language, utopia refers
    to a society of idealistic rationality. A
    perfect society or a location of peaceful rest
    and tranquility.

5
Intentions
  • There is much discussion over Thomas Mores
    intentions with this publication.
  • The focus of many arguments centers on the basic
    understanding that Mores life contradicts the
    opinions presented in the book.
  • the book Utopia can be considered a pure
    fantasy or pure social, political commentary
    or
  • in many regards, it is considered the perfect
    satire of humansociety it predates many classic
    writings with similar intentionsmuch like
    Jonathan Swifts Modest Proposal.

6
Similar Works
  • Jonathon Swift Gullivers Travels
  • George Orwell 1984
  • Aldous Huxley Brave New World
  • Russell Hoban Riddley Walker
  • Ursula K. Le Guin The Dispossessed An Ambiguous
    Utopia
  • Ray Bradbury Fahrenheit 451
  • Richard Adams Watership Down
  • all of these writings in some form discuss how a
    society based on supposed utopian values becomes
    a dystopia social commentaries

7
Classifying the Work
  • Critics are divided how to label the piece due to
    the fact that the work appeared in the early
    Sixteenth Century, the era of Monarchs, a time
    without experiments on formation of different
    political societies.
  • Further discussions result when one considers
    Mores own political career as advisor to
    Englands Henry VIII, as Lord Chancellor, and
    lawyer.
  • The criticisms embedded in the full book Utopia
    even run counter to Mores assumed values as a
    devout follower of the Catholic faith.

8
As Satire
  • As a genre, satires run a wide spectrum of
    possibilities
  • pure fantasy, an allegory
  • used as basic entertainment
  • pure allegory as political commentary,
  • a political/philosophical discourse

9
Background Common Points
  • Similarities can be seen in the strategy of the
    narrator and the manner the writing raises
    controversial topics.
  • The full text utilizes a narrator who is a false
    copy of More.
  • He records a past discussion from a record of
    only their memory, after an undisclosed time
    period More does relate in non-specific terms
    that over a year has passed between the initial
    conversation with the fictional Raphael
    Hythlodaeus and the publication of Mores book.
  • The narrator apologizes for his memory skills and
    for possible flaws in his retelling the material,
    adding layers of irony to the piece.
  • A slight blurring of fiction with reality is used
    in order to communicate his observations of human
    nature and human psychology.
  • The text is organized as a frame narrative, a
    story within a story.

10
Background Common Points
  • The text is neatly divided into two sections
    Book 1 and Book 2. Current Issues provides a
    portion from the second section.
  • Both sections are shown through first person
    accounts of events.
  • Book 1 Book 2Primarily concerned with
    Primarily concerned withEnglish social order
    Utopian views of society
  • the character More narrates story the
    character Raphael Hythlodaeusand establishes
    political/social themes narrates his adventures
    in Utopia,in the full text discussing the
    communitys views of society
  • establishes England and Europes offers a
    solution to class strugglessocial / class
    problems for comparison through example of
    island Utopia

11
Background Common Points
  • Originally published in Latin by a Belgium press
    in 1516. More is approximately 38 years old.
  • It was not printed in English until a four years
    after the death of Henry VIII.
  • A Quick Time-line
  • 1492 Christopher Columbus lands in New World
  • 1516 First publication of Utopia in Latin
  • 1535 Execution of More for treason, due to his
    refusal to accept Henry VIII as Head of Church
    of England
  • 1547 Death of Henry VIII1551 First
    publication of Utopia in English

12
Characters
  • A majority of the figures in the book are based
    on historic people.
  • Of the major actors in the story, only Raphael
    Hythlodaeus is fictional. His first name is
    Hebrew, meaning God heals.
  • His last name is based on Greek, translates to
    speaker of nonsense.
  • Peter Giles, who appears in Book 1, is based on
    a real, historical individual, a friend of More.
  • By exchanging dialogue between these two
    principle characters andportraying himself as
    narrator, More subtly plays with various
    political and social ideas in a safer fashion.

13
The Full Texts Components
  • The introduction takes the form of a letter,
    written by Thomas More to Peter Giles.
  • In this fashion, More prepares the reader for a
    direct approach on the topic.
  • In a tongue-in-cheek approach, he apologizes for
    the flaws in the full text, showing mock
    humility.
  • In this fashion he also establishes a background
    exposition for the reader, creating an atmosphere
    of factual recording.

14
The Full Texts Components
  • Further, to help separate fact from fiction, he
    conveniently recalls that neither Giles nor
    himself asked Hythlodaeus where Utopia is
    located.
  • In this fashion, More establishes an elaborate
    fictional atmosphere.
  • We forgot to ask, and he forgot to say, in what
    part of the new world Utopia lies. I am sorry
    that part was omitted, and I would be willing to
    pay a considerable sum to purchase that
    information, partly because I am rather ashamed
    to be ignorant in what sea lies the island of
    which I am saying so much, partly because there
    are several among us, and one in particular, a
    devout man and a theologian by profession,
    burning with an extraordinary desire to visit
    Utopia (717).

15
Utopia-Book 1
  • Near the end of this portion of the text,
    Hythlodaeus proposes a radical solution to
    Europes and Englands social problems.
  • The character suggests that removal of private
    property and monies would alleviate English and
    European conflicts.
  • Remember the proposal Hythlodaeus suggests
    emerges from the early Sixteenth Century a
    period in history where even a working notion of
    Democracy has not been achieved.
  • It has been suggested that his proposal was the
    beginnings of Marxist theories, centuries later.
  • In Utopia, Book 1, Hythlodaeus begins his
    argument wherever you have private property and
    all men measure all things by cash values, there
    it is scarcely possible for a commonwealth to
    have justice or prosperity (739).

16
Utopia-Book 2
  • More, through Hythlodaeus, continues his
    secondary theme of the evils of idle behavior.
  • By strategies of the Utopian society, no one
    sits idle (746).
  • Hythlodaeus outlines the typical idlers in Europe
    as a contrast. Part of the vice of idleness
    includes gambling, drinking, brothels, and
    useless occupations (748).
  • The remainder of Book 2 shows through example how
    a society can reject idle lifestyles and
    attitudes.
  • One primary precautionary measure which the
    Utopians have in place is the fact everyone, men
    and women, is trained immediately in the pursuit
    of farming. The society is based primarily as an
    agricultural culture.

17
Utopia-Book 2
  • Aside from this type of political commentary, the
    majority of this section of Utopia leans closer
    to fantasy.
  • More creates elaborate details of the daily life
    of the average Utopian, discussing education,
    marriage and courtship, family relations, and
    housing.
  • His concern at this stage is creating an
    elaborate background of his fictional society in
    order to show its function and mechanism through
    plot devices and less about the contrasting
    politics between England and Utopia.

18
Utopia-Book 2
  • However, Mores fantasy soon changes in tone once
    Hythlodaeus acknowledges the existence of slaves.
  • One of the first times they are mentioned is in
    the section Social Relations where Hythlodaeus
    displays how the food markets are maintained
  • Outside the city are designated places where all
    gore and offal may be washed away in running
    water. From these places they transport the
    carcasses of the animals slaughtered and cleaned
    by the hands of slaves. They do not allow their
    citizens to accustom themselves to the butchering
    of animals (750).

19
Utopia-Book 2
  • Notice just after first establishing the
    perfect classless society, he then discloses a
    major flaw in their community.
  • The existence of slaves in the plot causes the
    primary fantasy structure to shift to an overt
    political/social commentary.

20
Utopia-Book 2
  • Be sure to note that More is not an advocate of
    slavery. He is mentioning this practice as a
    common-place evil in the world.
  • During the early 1500s slavery as an institution
    had not yet reached a peak of inhumanity as the
    American slave trade industry during the early
    formation of the United States industry.
  • Spanish conquistadors were only just beginning to
    import populations of African slaves rather than
    use Native Americans as a resource.
  • In addition, England would not begin
    participating in the Transatlantic Slave Trade
    until the mid 1500s, a few decades after Mores
    execution.
  • At this stage in history, the common accepted
    belief was if a country conquered another
    country, the first country had legal right to
    do what they wished to the conquered. To the
    victor goes the spoils.

21
Utopia-Book 2
  • In a later section of Book 2, Slavery, Etc,
    Hythlodaeus discusses the issues of enslavement.
  • The opening paragraph goes into elaborate
    detail of the condition of these people.
  • Prisoners of war are not enslaved unless
    captured in wars fought by the Utopians
    themselves ... Their slaves are either such or
    such as have been condemned to death elsewhere
    for some offense. The greater number are of this
    latter kind. They carry away many of them
    sometimes they buy them cheaply but often they
    ask for them and get them for nothing. These
    classes of slaves they keep not only continually
    at work but also in chains (my emphasis, 764).

22
Utopia-Book 2
  • What was presented earlier in the text, how the
    society lacks a social hierarchy is now changed
    this utopian society is based on a class system
    Freeman and Slaves.
  • As well, within the Slave category itself, an
    additional hierarchy is created Acquired
    Foreign Slaves Willing Slaves Criminal Slaves

23
Utopia-Book 2
  • Utopia is then shown as a flawed and hypocritical
    country.
  • The notion of slaves or serfs defines an aspect
    of possession, even if the ownership is
    restricted to the government itself.
  • From Mores perspective, although he found a
    moral alternative for the slave trade by
    placing limits to its functions within a
    classless society yet, he does this all in
    order to create an elaborate fantasy to show how
    an utopia actually cannot function without
    someone being taken advantage of.
  • Once you see this intended flaw in the storys
    logic, then, the story cannot function as a
    formal social political commentary. Once the
    perfect classless society encourages slavery,
    then the political discourse falls apart in an
    obvious fashion due to the structure of the plot.
  • More furthers this by creating an elaborate
    allegory showing the slavesplaced in shackles
    and chains of gold.
Write a Comment
User Comments (0)
About PowerShow.com