num_pages: 192
description: De Optimo Republicae Statu deque Nova Insula Utopia (On the Best State of a Republic on the New Island of Utopia) is a book by Thomas More depicting a fictional society's religious, social &amp; political customs. The name is a pun derived from οὐ u &amp; τόπος tópos, with the topographical suffix-εία eía, hence Οὐτοπεία outopeía, “no-place land.” It's also a Latinization of Εὐτοπεία, “good-place land,” using the prefix ευ eu, “good,” instead of οὐ. This suggests that while Utopia might be some sort of perfected society, it's ultimately unreachable. Despite modern connotations of the word, it's widely accepted that the society described wasn't More's own ideal. Rather he wished to use the contrast between the imaginary land's political ideas &amp; the chaotic politics of his own day as a platform to discuss social issues. Work with Erasmus may have suggested the idea for Utopia. They translated some of Lucian from Greek into Latin. One dialog told of Menippus, Greek playwright, descending to the underworld &amp; describing it. Another influence was Plato's Republic, a far more politically motivated work about imaginary lands referred to in Utopia.
language: English
title: Utopia
titlecomplete: Utopia (Selected Works of St. Thomas More Series)
characters: Raphael Hythloday, Cardinal John Morton, Peter Giles, Thomas More, General Utopus
genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Politics, Philosophy, Utopia, School, Literature, Classics, Fantasy, Dystopia
ratings_count: 72381
places: Utopia, Antwerp
publisher: Yale University Press