A review by eleanorflovver
Utopia by Thomas More

challenging hopeful reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

honestly this was way better than i was expecting. i really like the core thesis of utopia as a "no-place" but after that he just goes a bit off the rails?? like how much of this is allegory and how much of this is just renaissance sandpit-scaping? honestly he gets points for reviving the platonic dialogue and expands on some of his points well, but he's also so grounded in convention that a lot of the time he seems to miss the point. case in point: the slavery. like bro you can't just start with the revolutionary thesis that perfection exists only as a hypothesis which would go on to be the foundation of utopian drama and pastiche for centuries and then go "but in this hypothetical we have slaves". like no. in this allegory, slavery should represent the cost of a façade of perfection, not.be a part of it. but anyway. it's read, it's cited and i can submit my paper with a lighter conscience but a heavy heart.