By examining this work specifically, one can investigate how More might have seen the ideal position of women in society through the Utopian example. The background of Thomas More as an admirer of the classics and a “passionately observant Christian” gave his work a unique outlook that combined the ideologies of ancient and contemporary in determining what may be that ‘perfect’ society. Of course, the idea of women as equal is anachronistic and inequality was standard, so it is more valuable to address how the women of Utopia compared to that of More’s England in examining if he actually believed in progressive changes. This ideology is especially problematic to have developed in this imagined society as it never interacted with the Mediterranean-with the exception of the supposed Roman and Egyptian shipwreck to the island-yet developed similar beliefs, implying that male chauvinism itself is a human condition bound to naturally develop within any human civilization without external pressure or influence. Still, the fact that the first instance of the word “Utopia” in English-a word that today represents a fictional but perfect place-being used to describe this society in which women had greater faculty but were still subjects of the patriarchy seems to insist on their lesser nature. His work, however, did not condemn women as simply housewives either. Male superiority is an undeniable trait of humanity: this is the implication of Thomas More’s Utopian society.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |