58 pages • 1 hour read
Thomas MoreUtopia
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1516A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
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Poems & Letters Summary
The book opens with a depiction of the Utopian alphabet followed by a transliteration and translation of two Utopian poems. The first poem is written in the voice of Utopos, the founder of the Utopian state, and extols the intellectual and political humility of the Utopian people. The second poem is attributed to the Poet Laureate Mr. Windbag, who is described as “Nonsenso’s Sister’s Son.” The nation in which Mr. Windbag was crowned laureate goes unnamed. In this poem Windbag praises the practicality of the Utopian people who do not merely speculate about the best possible society, as Plato’s Republic did, but make it a reality. Because of their commitment to realizing the best possible society, Utopians serve as an example to all peoples.
The letters that follow the poems are addressed by characters within the novel (both of whom were also historical figures). The first is from Thomas More to his friend Peter Gilles. More offers a first sketch of the framing narrative: what will follow is simply his recounting of a conversation with Raphael Nonsenso, intrepid world traveler and philosopher. More explains his delay in writing this conversation down and anticipates certain criticisms, which he dismisses. The second letter is from Peter Gilles to Busleiden, a statesman and member of the royal court of Holland. Gilles proclaims that Raphael’s tales are even more engrossing than those of famed merchant Amerigo Vespucci. Further, he praises Raphael’s keen ability to understand the true, often overlooked causes of social problems. Gilles praises More’s skill as a writer and insists upon the work’s value as a piece of scholarship, despite More’s hesitancy to publish it. Gilles requests that Busleiden pen a letter of support for More’s work, which would be appended to the book in its published form. No such letter by Busleiden appears.
Poems & Letters Analysis
The poems and letters at the outset of the novel are important in establishing the frame narrative of More’s satire. As pieces of fictional documentary evidence, they reinforce the idea that Utopia is a record of real conversations about an actual place. This is not to suggest that More intended to deceive his audience. Given the humorous names and lack of geographical specificity, his contemporaries would have understood that the book was a work of fiction. It might be inferred then that More’s aim in framing the text in this way was to encourage his readers to see encounters with New World cultures as opportunities to reflect upon the form of European societies and possibilities for reform.
The poetic fragments also provide the audience its first glimpse of Utopian society and Utopian values. The first poem is in the voice of Utopos, the founder of the Utopian state. It indicates that Utopians are a highly practical people who put philosophical principles into action rather than pursuing idle speculations. Furthermore, the poem expresses Utopian generosity of spirit and their commitment to intellectual and political humility: “Willingly I-impart my-things, not not-willingly I-accept better ones” (3).
Following the poems are two letters, the first from Thomas More to Peter Gilles, the second from Gilles to a Dutch statesman named Busleiden. All these characters are also real historical figures. More’s letter recounts his difficulties in finding time to finally record the conversations that he and Gilles shared with Raphael Nonsenso in Antwerp, thus foreshadowing the idea that social problems arise from broad, systematic problems rather than individual choices. More does not choose to delay his writing but is so occupied with other responsibilities that he has no choice. More also expresses some hesitancy on whether he should publish the work and expresses frustration that Raphael never revealed the specific location of Utopia. Peter Gilles’s letter to Busleiden effusively praises More’s learning and literary acumen, suggesting that More’s account is perhaps even richer and more developed than what Raphael reported. Gilles and More’s respective accounts differ in the details. Gilles claims that Raphael did reveal the location of Utopia, but that More and Gilles have simply forgotten (12). This discrepancy reinforces the frame narrative by adding touch of authenticity to these documents.
