{"product_id":"9781411433397","title":"Utopia (Barnes \u0026 Noble Classics Series)","description":"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eUtopia\u003c\/i\u003e, by \u003cb\u003eSir Thomas More\u003c\/b\u003e, is part of the \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBiographies of the authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFootnotes and endnotes \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSelective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComments by other famous authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStudy questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBibliographies for further reading \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndices \u0026amp; Glossaries, when appropriate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003eAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics \u003c\/i\u003epulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of the most influential books in the Western philosophical and literary tradition, \u003cb\u003eSir Thomas More\u003c\/b\u003e’s \u003ci\u003eUtopia\u003c\/i\u003e appeared in 1516. The formidable Henry VIII had recently assumed the throne in England, and conflicting ideas about religion were fueling the Reformation throughout Europe. A scathing satire, \u003ci\u003eUtopia\u003c\/i\u003e was hugely successful and vaulted More to the forefront of the growing humanist movement.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe story of \u003ci\u003eUtopia\u003c\/i\u003e is told by a mysterious sailor named Raphael Hythloday, who travels to the New World with the Italian explorer Vespucci and remains at a fort built at the farthest point reached. From there, he discovers a strange island kingdom named Utopia, a pagan and communist city-state in which language, social customs, dress, architecture, and education are identical throughout the country’s fifty-four cities. The Utopians have eliminated wealth, the nobility, and currency. Labor and goods are distributed equally and property is held in common. And there are no monasteries, alehouses, or academies to tempt a person to withdraw from society.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGiven More’s satiric leanings and eventual execution, is \u003ci\u003eUtopia\u003c\/i\u003e simply an attack on Europe’s wickedness? Or is it a philosophical tract extolling the ideal way to live? Ultimately,\u003ci\u003e Utopia\u003c\/i\u003e navigates a course between the desire to create perfection and the pragmatic understanding that perfection, given the fallibility of mankind, is impossible.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWayne A. Rebhorn\u003c\/b\u003e is Celanese Centennial Professor of English at the University of Texas at Austin. He has written extensively on Renaissance literature in English, Italian, French, Spanish, and Latin, on authors from Boccaccio through More and Shakespeare down to Milton.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Barnes \u0026 Noble","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47121667719408,"sku":"9781411433397","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781411433397_p0.jpg?v=1763725411","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781411433397","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}