Thomas-More---Utopia

1、1,School of Foreign Studies Anhui Normal University,Selective Readings and History of British Culture Lord of Ireland The second monarch of the House of Tudor Known for his six marriages his role in the English Reformation,Background Information,24,Henry VIII and His Six Wives,25,1. Henry VIII was a

2、nxious for a successor. No woman had yet ruled in her own right either in England or in any other European countries. And he didnt have a prince yet. 2. His determination of divorce from Queen Catherine finally separated England from the jurisdiction of the Church of Rome.,Background Information,26,

3、Henry VIII is known for his role in the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. 1) He privately married Anne Boleyn, which irritated the Pope. 2) He dissolved the Monasteries, and established himself as the Supreme Head of the Church of England in 1534. 3) In 153237, he i

4、nstituted a number of statutes that dealt with the relationship between the king and the Pope and the structure of the Church of England,Background Information,27,4) He changed religious ceremonies and rituals, while remaining believer in core Catholic theological teachings, even after his excommuni

5、cation from the Roman Catholic Church.,Background Information,28,Results of the Reformation 1. It made the King more absolute than before. 2. The abolition of so many religious institutions necessarily caused much misery. 3. It put an end to the monasterys leading position in educating British child

6、ren. 4. British church was separated from the Roman Catholic Church. England was made a Protestant nation.,Background Information,29,1) Platos Republic greatly influenced More in his composition of Utopia. 2) The recent explorations of the newly discovered countries with their strange customs also p

7、rovided More with a fresh perspective.,Background Information,30,The Republic is Platos ten-volume work in the form of dialogues between Socrates and other people. In it, Plato draws the picture of an ideal commonwealth. Plato identifies political justice as harmony in a structured political body. A

8、ccording to Plato, an ideal society consists of three main classes of peopleproducers (craftsmen, farmers, artisans, etc.), auxiliaries (warriors), and guardians (rulers);,Background Information,31,guardians (rulers),auxiliaries (warriors),peopleproducers (craftsmen, farmers, artisans, etc.),The Rep

9、ublic,32,Background Information,Amerigo Vespucci,33,Amerigo Vespucci was another Italian explorer and navigator. After his explorations in 1501-1502, he was one of the first explorers to come up with the idea that these places he had visited were not part of Asia (as Columbus thought) but rather wer

10、e part of a New World. In 1507, a pamphlet was published called The Four Voyages of Amerigo and the author suggested that the new land that Amerigo had explored be named in his honor. The Americas are generally believed to have derived their name from the feminized Latin version of his first name.,B

11、ackground Information,34,Utopia is placed in the New World and More links Raphaels travels with Amerigo Vespuccis real life voyages of discovery. He suggests that Raphael is one of the 24 men Vespucci, in his Four Voyages of 1507, says he left for six months at Cabo Frio, Brazil. Raphael then travel

12、s further and finds the island of Utopia, where he spends five years observing the customs of the natives.,Background Information,35,Utopia,36,Utopia Definition: no place an ideal society in which the social, political, and economic evils afflicting human kind have been wiped out Form: an argument b

13、etween a character named More and a returned traveler named Raphael Hythloday,Background Information,37,Description: Utopia is an enlightened pagan community in which all land and goods are owned in common and are available to all as needed; there is no private property of any kind. All the citizens

14、, men and women, are on an equal footing and have the same rights; their interests are subordinate to those of society at large; and every one must engage in physical labor.,Background Information,38,Structure: two books The first book deals with the shortcomings of contemporary European society. Th

15、e second book is an explanation of the many laws and customs of Utopian society.,Background Information,39,Major Themes: Utopia reveals the ideal conditions of a society and his solution to the many social illness that were pervasive in the 16th C. Europe. Utopia deals primarily with the question of

16、 the relation of the State and the individual.,Background Information,40,Special Features: 1) The two books in Utopia contrast each other. 2) Dialogues the most important device 3) Geography: an island 4) Cities: of the same basic structure; no private space; Good infrastructure,Background Informati

17、on,41,5) Agriculture: The citizens take turns in doing agricultural work 6) Politics: Strange mixture of freedom and repression; Democratic government; Discussion of politics outside of the political area is punished with Death; There is no discrimination.,Background Information,42,7) Work: Every ma

18、n and woman has a job. They only work for six hours a day. Utopian society is far more productive than European society. They are very modest in terms of luxury. 8) Society: Utopia is ideal ! Slavery is not a question of race, ethnicity or belief. Only criminals can become slaves. Utopia has no lawy

19、ers.,Background Information,43,9) Religion: There are many religions in Utopia. Women can also become priests. 10) Education/Science/Philosophy: Only certain accomplished people are allowed to give up manual labour for intellectual studies. Every Utopian child receives a thorough education. In their

20、 free time Utopians choose to follow intellectual pursuits.,Background Information,44,11) War: Utopians hate war and try to avoid it at all costs They engage in warfare only to protect themselves or to free oppressed peoples When a declaration of war is made the Utopians try to find a peaceful solut

21、ion While fighting they try not to destroy the enemys land or soil Wives are allowed to accompany their husbands to war.,Background Information,45,Text Study,I. A Close Reading of Utopia,II. The Significance of Utopia,46,Text Study,Para. 1 In this paragraph, More introduces the types of job that Uto

22、pian citizens should do. Farming? Other Crafts? - types of crafts - difference between men &women - how to learn crafts ,47,Text Study,Para. 2-3 These two paragraphs are mainly about Utopian way of spending twenty-four hours in a day: hours for work in the morning dinner hours for rest hours for wor

23、k in the afternoon suppers sleeping hours ( People also have spare time to do what they like to).,three,two,three,eight,48,Text Study,Para. 4 In this paragraph, More argues that six-hour working time is enough to provide Utopians with sufficient supply of life necessities as long as everyone work.,4

24、9,Text Study,Para. 5 Conclusion: In that commonwealth, the chief and only aim is to spend as much time as possible in the free exercise and training of the mind.,50,The Significance of Utopia,a. Utopia is a forerunner of the utopian literary genre, wherein ideal societies and perfect cities are deta

25、iled. The word Utopia has been used ever since to describe this kind of imaginary society with many unusual ideas being contemplated. b. The politics of Utopia has been influential to the ideas of Communism. Utopian socialism was used to describe first concepts of socialism, although it as,51,The Si

26、gnificance of Utopia,too simplistic and not grounded on realistic principles. c. Utopia attacks the chief political and social evils of Mores time. d. It played a key role in the Humanist awakening of the 16th century which moved away from the Medieval otherworldliness towards Renaissance secularism

27、.,52,Post-reading Discussion,1. What do you think of the Utopian way of daily life? 2. Do you think all the occupations today are extremely necessary? Why or why not? 3. Do you think the Utopian way of life is in line with the low carbon notion? Can it be a solution to todays energy crisis? Why or why not