Three Early Modern Utopias: Utopia / New Atlantis / The Isle of Pines

by Thomas More, Francis Bacon, Henry Neville

With the publication of Utopia (1516), Thomas More provided a scathing analysis of the shortcomings of his own society, a realistic suggestion for an alternative mode of social organization, and a satire on unrealistic idealism. Enormously influential, it remains a challenging as well as a playful text. This edition reprints Ralph Robinson's 1556 translation from More's original Latin together with letters and illustrations that accompanied early editions of Utopia.
This edition also includes two other, hitherto less accessible, utopian narratives. New Atlantis (1627) offers a fictional illustration of Francis Bacon's visionary ideal of the role that science should play in the modern society. Henry Neville's The Isle of Pines (1668), a precursor of Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, engages with some of the sexual, racial, and colonialist anxieties of the end of the early modern period. Bringing together these three New World texts, and situating them in a wider Renaissance context, this edition - which includes letters, maps, and alphabets that accompanied early editions - illustrates the diversity of the early modern utopian imagination, as well as the different purposes to which it could be put.

Genres: Philosophy, Classics, Fiction, Politics, Utopia, Literature, Renaissance

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 13, 1999

About the author

Sir Thomas More (1477-1535), venerated by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, and noted Renaissance humanist. He was a councillor to Henry VIII and also served as Lord High Chancellor of England from October 1529 to 16 May 1532.

More opposed the Protestant Reformation, in particular the theology of Martin Luther and William Tyndale. He also wrote Utopia, published in 1516, about the political system of an imaginary ideal island nation. More opposed the King's separation from the Catholic Church, refusing to acknowledge Henry as Supreme Head of the Church of England and the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. After refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy, he was convicted of treason and beheaded.

Pope Pius XI canonised More in 1935 as a martyr. Pope John Paul II in 2000 declared him the "heavenly Patron of Statesmen and Politicians." Since 1980, the Church of England has remembered More liturgically as a Reformation martyr. The Soviet Union honoured him for the Communistic attitude toward property rights expressed in Utopia.

Reviews

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A proto-Communist reverie by a Catholic saint; a text from 1627 featuring lasers, cloning and synthetic biology; and a raunchy, sexist, racist castaway tale; what's not to like?! And all this before the advent of the omniscient narrator, adding a pseudo-documentary touch that feels strangely modern in our age.

[Thomas Marin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe the most boring text on the planet. Recommended for insomnia.

[Igor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read all the book, but the introductory part to help me with other book: 'Dystopia: A Natural History', de Gregory Claeys. This last one I am reading in full.

I have noticed:
1) acessible text;
2) nice analysis;
3) I gave grade 4 following the average already here.

[Fin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Utopia and The New Atlantis are really interesting looks at the potentials of scientific and political organisation which the Renaissance had begun to throw up. More's text in particular is a minor masterpiece of state-ekphrasis, and Bacon ends his utopia with a fascinating description of its scientific advances (including alluring moments of unclearness: what does the single entry "versions of bodies into other bodies" mean??)

Isle of Pines is kind of hilarious - literally what Susan Bruce in the introduction notes as a pornotopia where a man washes up on an island with four beautiful women, and through lots of *hard work* produces an entire civilisation's worth of kids. The fact that the utopia comes from the natural beauty of the island rather than political organisation allies it with earlier utopian literature (Ovid's description of the golden age for example) and makes it a lot less compelling.

[Theo Chen · Rating 3 out of 5]

More’s Utopia is dry as hell (good reminder of how much I don’t like reading philosophy), but the two other short texts are really fascinating and readable. There’s a troubling (shocking…) foray into incest and debauchery in The Isle of Pines, but generally it’s really interesting to think about these three early utopian texts… the way they conceive ideal settings, and insist on their reality- a sign of hope? Of idealism? Of wishing for something better… is literature their way of enacting those dreams?

[Jara Larissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik heb Utopia en New Atlantis moeten lezen voor uni en op zich was het heel leuk en interessant om die teksten te ontleden en lekker te speculeren en discussiëren over alles wat er is geschreven en te reflecteren op de ontwikkeling van de mens en maatschappij en hoe de huidige samenleving er uit ziet maar als je geen man van 60 hebt die je 3 uur lang door deze teksten heen sleept is het ongelooflijk saai

[Nektarios kouloumpos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Τρεις ιστορίες ή τρία παραμυθάκια με πολύ φαντασία αλλά και ιστορική σημασία καθώς πάνω τους στηρίχθηκε η μισή τουλάχιστον πολιτική θεώρηση της πρώιμης νεωτερικότητας. Τουλάχιστον στα δυο πρώτα.
Προτείνεται ανεπιφύλακτα!

[— sab · Rating 2 out of 5]

"i think it not right nor justice that the loss of money should cause the loss of man’s life."

isle of pines was ,,, yeah

[Vanessa Braganza]

Loved Bacon's New Atlantis.

[Cynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I decided to read these 3 utopias when GR Catching Up on Classics decided to read Utopia by Thomas More.

Having previously read Utopia, I wanted to increase the challenge by reading Three Early Modern Utopias. I read
Utopia by Thomas More
my review I was having multiple infections at once when I read this selection and am now not happy with this review. I will reread soon after I am better healed and rewrite my unnecessarily acidic review.
New Atlantis by Francis Bacon
my review
The Isle of Pines by Henry Neville
my review

Having reviewed the three selections individually, I will now review the book as a whole.
* Three varied selections. More's Utopia: philosophical look at government. England and Utopia compared. New Atlantis: robinsonade and arcadian utopia.
* Introduction which includes a description of utopian literature as being a transitionary literature between travelogues and novels.
* Extensive Chronology of Thomas More, Francis Bacon, and Henry Neville.
* Appendix which was included in some earlky additions of Utopia.
* Extensive Explanatory Notes.
* Glossary of terms many current readers are not familiar with.
Quite a bit of information for a reader who wants to have most of the wanted information within the book covers. What I would like to have seen included: A biography of Thomas More. (The Barnes&Noble edition Utopia has one) But then I would have a short bio of all 3 writers. I am well satisfied with this yet another Oxford World's Classics edution.

[Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting anthology. The main draw, of course, is More's Utopia. Of less interest is the inclusion of Bacon's sometimes hard to find The New Atlantis. As a teaching edition, this falls short of the Penguin Utopia, largely because of the incomprehensible choice of using Ralph Robinson's 1556 translation of More's text. It's already a challenging read for the modern student; RR's Tudor prose will win neither hearts nor minds among today's students. It's an interesting choice for an Elizabethan scholar who might want to sample English prose of the era but better avoided if you're actually trying to teach the work to undergraduates. That's unfortunate, because it pairs reasonably well with the unfinished utopian work by Bacon, which has not always been readily available. Finally, the make-weight piece by Henry Neville—The Isle of Pines—is a curious pornotopia that reads either as an inside-out fantasy of the worst of colonization or a sick satire on same. Written by a fervent republican (he was a close associate of James Harrington), it's hard to know what to make of this bizarre little work. One is almost tempted to concoct a course on sex in utopias, using More and Neville (though not this translation of More).

[Kei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh.
I think I would have almost been okay just reading the introduction (even taking into account the level to which she loved the sound of her own voice.)

Utopia was interesting enough to pull quotes from, New Atlantis came across as a love affair with science and ego, and The Isle of the Pines was.... sort of wanting to clean my brain out with Lysol. Definitely an interesting piece, given the time it was written in, but... I didn't need to read it.

Overall I am looking forward to making sure my next book is in something closer to modern English.

[M.M. Strawberry Library & Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Oxford World Classics for a long time because of the notes, biographies, and other content that is added to the book to supplement the stories themselves. This is a decent collection of three stories, with all the necessary notes and such. If you're curious about Utopia, buy this book and you'll get two other visions of Utopia as well, making for a good overall reading experience (once you get past the old language, which is rather clunky at times, but that is how it was written) and you'll learn a few things too.

[mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

i probably would’ve loved this if it wasn’t written like one of those passover booklets

[Whisper19 · Rating 4 out of 5]

like some of More's ideas, but i wouldn't want to live there - i'd be a bit bored :)

[pantelif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Στην σύντομη εισαγωγή ο γιγαντώδης Ροζάνης κεντάει και βάζει τον τόνο. Τί θησαυρός αυτός ο άνθρωπος.

Άνισα τα τρία κείμενα:
Η "Ουτοπία" του Μορ, είναι καλοδουλεμένη κα�� αρκετά αναπτυγμένη.
Διαβάζοντάς την καταλαβαίνεις αβίαστα γιατί την εκτιμούν οι απανταχού ρομαντικοί και πώς έβαλε το σπόρο για διάφορα θαυμάσια που ακολούθησαν.
Φυσικά, με τα σημερινά μάτια, έχει αγκυλώσεις και συντηρητισμούς εκεί μέσα - δεν μπορείς να βγάλεις το κείμενο κόντρα στα νέα στάνταρ για την ισότητα των φύλων, τις σχέσεις μέσα στην οικογένεια κλπ.
Ωστόσο κρατάμε στα χέρια μας το πρώτο καταγεγραμμένο κείμενο που υποστηρίζει τα καλά της κοινοκτομοσύνης, υπ' αυτήν την έννοια είναι ελάχιστα υπερβολικό να υποστήριζε κανείς ότι είναι ένας πρώιμος θρίαμβος του πνεύματος.

Τα άλλα δύο κείμενα μου φάνηκαν σαφώς κατώτερα, ειδικά το τρίτο φλερτάρει στα 2023 ξεδιάντροπα με την γελοιότητα.
Τρώνε επίσης και τα δύο σκόνη από τον πρωτομάστορα Μορ σε βασικά πράγματα: λογοτεχνικό κάλλος, οργάνωση κειμένου κλπ.

Ο συνδετικός κρίκος είναι η εισαγωγή του Ροζάνη και τελικά το ενδιαφέρον είναι η εξέλιξη του ιδεατού-ουτοπικού μέσα στους αιώνες.
[τα κείμενα εκπροσωπούν γενιές οραματιστών, γραμμένα σε διάστημα 150+ ετών: 1516, 1627, 1668]

Ο χριστιανισμός ως επαρκώς φιλελεύθερη πλατφόρμα για να γεννηθούν και τέτοια κείμενα, μας αρέσει - δεν μας αρέσει.
Φυσικά, σε αυτά τα πρωτόλεια, και οι τρεις συγγραφείς είναι ακραιφνώς θρήσκοι.

Φυσικά επίσης, και οι τρεις είχαν τον Πλάτωνα για φάρο.

Ποια/πού είναι η νεά/επίκαιρη ουτοπία;
Αν ο Πλάτωνας εξάντλησε το τράβηγμα του σκοινιού προς το άπιαστο ιδεατό (καλά κάνει), ποιος απαντάει εύστοχα *σήμερα* προς την άλλη κατεύθυνση;
Εκτιμώ κανείς. Εδώ σπάει το γινγκ-γιανγκ, μια οδυνηρή έλλειψη ισορροπίας.
Από την άλλη, στην πράξη ζούμε την εποχή της ατομικότητας.
Εξ' ορισμού δηλ, στο πρακτικό επίπεδο, ζούμε προς την άλλη κατεύθυνση (υλισμός-ρεαλισμός), και μάλιστα στην κιτς, ανερμάτιστη και ακαλαίσθητη εκδοχή της. Μια (οδυνηρότερη) παραφωνία.

Το ότι και στις τρεις διηγήσεις χωρίς τη συλλογικότητα τα πάντα διαλύονται άμεσα και αμείλικτα είναι τρελό καμπανάκι: Σήμερα που το μόνο που μας νοιάζει είναι ο πόλος μας και πόσο ωραίος δείχνει στο ίνστα, τα πράγματα είναι σκούρα, σκούρα, σκούρα.
Μετά από αιώνες στραπάτσων των ουτοπιών, θα καλοδεχόμουν μία νέα ουτοπία καλά γειωμένη στον υλισμό-ρεαλισμό.

Αλλά τί γράφεις: ρεαλιστική ουτοπία.
Γκουντ λακ γουίθ δατ.
Πάμε να δούμε τον ΠΑΟΚ να τελειώνουμε, η σύγχρονη ουτοπία είναι να σηκώσει ο δικέφαλος το τζάμπιονζ λινγκ.

Πέραν πλάκας:
Πιθανότατα υποχρεωτικό ανάγνωσμα αν τέτοια οράματα σε συγκινούν.

[Dylan Vieites Glennon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Utopia by Thomas More, New Atlantis by Francis Bacon, and The Isle of Pines by Henry Neville together reveals the diversity of early modern thought, shaped by differing intellectual, social, and political priorities. These texts highlight contrasting approaches to imagining ideal societies and reflect broader shifts in early modern perspectives on human nature, governance, science, and morality.

More's Utopia is deeply rooted in Renaissance humanism, critiquing contemporary European hierarchies and proposing a communal society that prioritises equality, education, and rational governance. However, its contradictions—such as the presence of slavery and mercenary practices—underscore the tension between idealism and practicality in early modern political thought.

In contrast, Bacon's New Atlantis embodies the emerging so-called scientific revolution. It envisions a society where empirical knowledge and technological advancement are paramount, with science institutionalised to improve human life. This focus on mastering nature marks a significant departure from classical and Renaissance ideas of harmony with nature. However, Bacon's utopia is incomplete and elitist, emphasizing secrecy and limiting scientific endeavors to an intellectual elite.

Neville's The Isle of Pines presents a deceptively simple castaway narrative that functions as political satire, colonial thought experiment, and literary hoax. The tale of Englishman George Pine establishing a patriarchal dynasty with four women (including a Black slave) on an isolated island reflects Restoration-era anxieties about governance, colonial expansion, and racial mixing. While the text seemingly critiques imperial ambitions by showing how Pine's descendants degenerate into primitive disorder without proper institutions, it simultaneously reinforces problematic European ideologies and views of its time.

[Daniel Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are important works that everyone should read, literally everyone. These works have touched almost every corner of humanity in one way or another, and are also very thought provoking and extremely entertaining. My only issue with this is that the Utopia is presented in the original translation from Latin into early modern English, I feel since the original was in Latin anyway and the original translation had some errors, the work would be much more accessible if it were just done into a modern english translation. The footnotes are helpful, especially if people are unaware about the circumstances of its writing and Thomas Mores background.

[Lydia Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a paper on early modern political prose, really good collection for comparison. I feel like it’d be silly to try to critique More in any way, and I really did genuinely enjoy Utopia (the second book particularly, but I’d already read Utopia, so this was more of a refresh). New Atlantis is a wonderful parallel when considering the inconsistencies of the utopian model. All round a great anthology.

[Maya Magnuski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for class: Pretty interesting to see what social issues are priorities for these early utopias (spoiler alert: mostly weird marital affairs and homogeneity…). Utopia was probably the most enjoyable read out of the three. Though New Atlantis has a more engaging writing style, the layout of the society was lacking— expected more from ol’ Francis Bacon. Cool texts to engage with but not really a great “for fun” read. Like a 2.8/5

[Kathrin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not the hugest fan of this book, I liked to get glimpses in what other people viewed as a utopia and how they saw a utopia. I did not really like all the background information and the framework of the novel and that really knocked down my enjoyment of the series.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag. The first book of More's Utopia I found almost unreadable, the second was interesting; New Atlantis an easy, but not tremendously thought provoking read, and Isle of Pines is a steamy incest-ful racist piece of pulp fiction.

[Jean Lobrot]

Really interesting! Language is old so a bit tricky at the outset, but eventually you settle into the rhythm of it. As someone who likes modern political philosophy, trying to reconcile older ideas within current frameworks is quite rewarding intellectually.

[J M-B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The introduction and notes by Susan Bruce make this an especially useful little volume.

[Sydney Nicholson]

I read New Atlantis by Francis Bacon.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the first two stories few months ago for class. Last story is an odd one to read on Christmas Eve

[Evy Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring and stupid

[DenFin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Utopia 2 stars
New Atlantis 3 stars
I am so anti-utopia, this gave lord of the flies energy

[Mole Mann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent collection of tales though I might have replaced the abysmal Isle of Pines with something like The Blazing World, The City of the Sun, or The Commonwealth of Oceana.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted at warmdayswillnevercease.wordpress.com

Utopia by Thomas More (1516)

Utopia is a wonderfully satirical, yet odd, piece of prose. While it is not the first work of utopian fiction, it did give us the term ‘utopia’. More’s prose satirises unrelenting idealism by creating a utopia or ‘no place’, an ideal society which cannot exist in reality. Each utopian world reveals a lot about its author and about the society in which they live(d).

I really enjoyed reading Utopia but I did find a lot of the story rather puzzling. More, a devote Catholic who persecuted Protestants, seems to advocate for easy divorce, female priests, married priests, and euthanasia in his utopia. Utopia practices religious tolerance, especially of pagan religions, and even atheists are allowed to inhabit the island (even if they are despised). Of course, a traveller, Raphael Hythlodaeus, attempts to convert the Utopians to Christianity because that’s what European colonists did but religious tolerance is at the heart of Utopian society. There’s a welfare state with free healthcare, women have a more liberal role than in English society in the 16th century, and the Utopians attempt to avoid war where possible. This all sounds ideal but More also puts slavery in his utopian society, makes premarital sex punishable by life-long celibacy, and eradicates privacy altogether. More is clearly satirising the lifestyle and ideas of Early Modern Europeans, made obvious by the playful asides that run throughout the story, but so much of the piece seems to be at odds with More’s own views and actions that I just don’t know what to think.

New Atlantis by Francis Bacon (1626)

Bacon’s utopian novel is incomplete and was published by William Rawley after Bacon’s death in 1626. I found Bacon’s utopia to be really interesting because he was essentially just stating the importance of his own scientific method. Science and religion are at the heart of Bacon’s New Atlantis but he stresses the importance of science by showcasing an ‘ideal’ society which has a state-sponsored scientific institute, something which England definitely did not have in Bacon’s own time. All of the utopian nation’s experiments are conducted in the Baconian method as they attempt to understand and control nature.

There’s no real plot to speak of, maybe because the novel is unfinished, but you find out about the history of the island and its principles. It’s an interesting concept and I enjoyed reading it. I really liked the writing style too as it was simple, straightforward, and logical.

The Isle of Pines by Henry Neville (1668)

This was the shortest and weirdest story in the collection. I’m not even sure if Neville depicts a utopian or dystopian world in The Isle of Pines because it has elements of both genres. Although they have laws and Christianity (what a surprise), the society that the explorers find is based on a system of idleness and sexual freedom. Sounds like fun to me. The idyllic island allows the residents to live in comfort, never worrying about food or shelter. However, the society is also unproductive, uncreative, and rather violent which is what makes me think that this is definitely more of a dystopia rather than a utopia. Dutch explorers find the island lacking in industrial and technological advancement and discover that they can learn nothing from this isolated island.

I think that this was my favourite story of the three as I really enjoyed the epistolary framework and I thought that the narrative voice was the most interesting. Neville managed to create a unique story which artfully illustrated the tensions of his own time while skilfully combining two genres together to create an odd, but interesting, story.

***

Overall, this is a really interesting collection of early utopian fiction. I do wish it had included something written by a woman, like The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish or The Book of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan, but it is a very limited collection so I can’t expect too much. Each story is worth reading but the explanatory notes and introduction are a really nice addition so I’m glad I bought this particular edition.