Description
Book SynopsisThomas More remains one of the most enigmatic thinkers in history, due in large part to the enduring mysteries surrounding his best-known work, Utopia. He has been variously thought of as a reformer and a conservative, a civic humanist and a devout Christian, a proto-communist and a monarchical absolutist.
Trade Review"For too long, there have been multiple Mores: Thomas More the 'man for all seasons' has also seemed to be a man of many faces: More's identities as a statesman, humanist, and saint have seemed riven from each other and bafflingly incompatible. In this brilliant, lucid, and pithy account, Joanne Paul reunites More with himself by identifying the central idea that animated his thought and action. This is an original and illuminating work that should be compulsory for any reader of Utopia."�
Suzannah Lipscomb, New College of the Humanities "A well-organized introduction to Thomas More's body of writing, some published only posthumously, which deftly introduces a general university-level reader to his written corpus."�
Bethany Wiggin, University of Pennsylvania "Fascinating...Paul shows an impressive mastery of the assorted, disparate aspects of More�s work."�
Spiked ReviewTable of ContentsPreface vi
Abbreviations ix
Key Dates xi
Introduction: The Thought of Thomas More 1
1 Early Life, Education and Poetry 15
2 Utopia and ‘Common Things’ 29
3 Richard III and the Stage Play of Politics 60
4 The Common Corps of Christendom 83
5 Influence 116
Conclusion 141
Notes 146
References 158
Recommended Reading 169
Index 174
