[简答题,10分] Talk about Thomas More’s Utopia.

Utopia is More’s masterpiece, written in the form of a convention between More and a returned sailor. The whole book is divided into two books. The first book contains a long discussion on the social conditions of England. In the second book, More describes in detail an ideal society called Utopia. The name “Utopia” comes from two Greek words meaning “no place”. It was used by More to name his ideal society. Book One of Utopia is a picture of contemporary England. The author severely criticizes English society and exposes social evils. He points out that the enclosure of land and the ensuing expulsion of peasants is the source of social evils, and that the whole system of society around him seems to him “nothing but a conspiracy of the rich against the poor”. He condemns the rich and the ruling class for bringing miseries to the poor peasants. Generally speaking, Book One is a forcible exposure of the evil things of English society. Book Two offers us a good picture of an ideal society in some unknown ocean. In this society property is held in common and there is no poverty. All the citizens in Utopia are politically equal. Everybody takes part in labor. The products of the society are distributed according to the needs of the citizens. More emphasizes the importance of labor for every member of the society, and insists upon working six hours a day. After work, the citizens spend their time in studying literature, science and art. All religions in this ideal society are authorized and tolerance is the law. Life there is pleasant. People enjoy cleanliness, comfort and well-being. This work became very popular after its publication. It was translated into English in 1551. It is regarded as one of the earliest work of Utopian socialism.