History Literature / Utopia

''Utopia'' is a 1516 satirical philosophical treatise by UsefulNotes/ThomasMore, detailing the government and customs of a certain island nation which has (possibly) created the ideal society. TropeNamer for {{Utopia}} (lit. "good place") and by extension {{Dystopia}} ("wrong/bad place"). The name itself is a pun on the Greek ''ou'' (no/not) vs ''eu'' (good) -- the island is "no place;" which is to say, entirely fictional.

* FramingDevice: Te main part of the book (describing Utopia and some other islands) is just More's transcription of what Raphael said. More even includes a couple of letters -- one to Giles asking him to check the accuracy and one from Giles saying he thinks it's correct.

While in Flanders on business, More and his associate Peter Giles run into a New World traveler named Raphael, whose travels have exposed him to many other societies and given him a new perspective from which to judge England's particular flaws and foibles. When he begins to describe Utopia, a remarkable island on which he lived a number of years, More and Giles are fascinated and take him aside for a whole afternoon to hear more about Utopia and its laws, customs, and so on -- this account takes up most of the book. Afterward, More concludes that he would like to see England adopt the same system, though he doubts it ever could.

* AllCrimesAreEqual: Before the story about Utopia itself, there are discussions of several other nations with [[MeaningfulName Meaningful Names]]. One of these points out the various flaws of having all crimes punished by death. The specific example is that a person who robs a house will then go to any length to escape rather than consider giving up. What's more, a prospective thief has every incentive to commit murder rather than just theft -- he will be no worse off ''if'' caught, and by killing the principal (or only) witness, he reduces his chances of ''getting'' caught.

* FramingDevice: Ostensibly the main part of the book (describing Utopia and some other islands) is just More's transcription of what Raphael said. More even includes a couple of letters -- one to Giles asking him to check the accuracy and one from Giles saying he thinks it's correct.
* IllegalReligion: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] and {{subverted}}. There is no heresy on Utopia -- the majority religion is some kind of sun worship, but the inhabitants have many faiths. However, atheism is frowned upon [[HollywoodAtheist because of the suspicion that a person with no religion has no reason to be moral]]. Even then, they aren't killed, enslaved, or otherwise punished for their lack of belief, merely sent to speak with the priests in an effort to change their minds.

* NobleSavage: Probably averted. Despite being a New World island, Utopia was founded by Utopos, who was apparently from the Old World. Before his conquest, it was called Abraxa, which translator Paul Turner speculates comes from the Greek for "no trousers."

* WorthlessYellowRocks: Invoked. Utopians know the purchasing power of gold and jewels, but in order to keep themselves from growing attached to them, gems are given to little children as nursery toys and gold is used to make chamber pots, slave chains, or heavy articles to punish and humiliate criminals. Utopians also see gold as worthless in the direct sense -- yes, it's shiny, but it's too soft and heavy to be useful. Iron, which makes tools, is far more valuable to them.

* PhilosopherKings: Discussed but defied (as part of the book's gentle assault on Plato's ''Literature/TheRepublic''). Raphael tells his hearers that most kings ''aren't'' wise and are only interested in the kind of knowledge that will get them more land and money; they certainly wouldn't want someone nearby who would tell them they already had enough.

* AllCrimesAreEqual: Before the story about Utopia itself, there are discussions of several other nations with [[MeaningfulName Meaningful Names]]. One of these points out the various flaws of having all crimes punished by death.
** The specific example is that a person who robs a house will then go to any length to escape rather than consider giving up.
** Specifically, a prospective thief has every incentive to commit murder rather than just theft -- he will be no worse off ''if'' caught, and by killing the principal (or only) witness, he reduces his chances of ''getting'' caught.

* BilingualBonus: Apart from the name "Utopia" itself, More uses made-up yet meaningful Greek names a few times. For example is a passing mention of a people called "Polylerites". This comes from Greek "poly", meaning "many" or "much", and "leros" meaning "nonsense".

* BilingualBonus: Apart from the name "Utopia" itself, More uses made-up yet meaningful Greek names a few times. For example is a passing mention of a people called "Polylerites". This comes from Greek "poly", meaning "many", and "leros" meaning "nonsense".