In his most famous and controversial book, Utopia, Thomas More
imagines a perfect island nation where thousands live in peace and
harmony, men and women are both educated, and all property is communal.
Through dialogue and correspondence between the protagonist Raphael
Hythloday and his friends and contemporaries, More explores the theories
behind war, political disagreements, social quarrels, and wealth
distribution and imagines the day-to-day lives of those citizens
enjoying freedom from fear, oppression, violence, and suffering.
Originally written in Latin, this vision of an ideal world is also a
scathing satire of Europe in the sixteenth century and has been hugely
influential since publication, shaping utopian fiction even today.
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