There's something fishy in these Utopian waters...

The letter to Peter:
Before we even get to the story, it's really interesting to read the letter because it attempts to prepare the reader for what to expect. Thomas More begins by apologizing by sending this over a year later when it was supposed to only take six weeks. He also says that it should be simple and easy to understand because fancy, complex language would ruin it. More blames his daily chores, family, job and duties for not having time to write and says that he took time out of eating and sleeping to get this done.

Most interestingly enough, he is embarrassed because he has no idea where Utopia takes place. The storyteller, Raphael, has left this detail out and nobody has asked about it either. I think this is really symbolic because we can all talk about a perfect society that we would like, but we may not know how it would come to be or where it would go.

Our fiction v. lying discussion also makes this quote stand out, "For as I've taken particular pains to avoid having anything false in this book, so, if anything is in doubt, I'd rather say something untrue than tell a lie. In short, I'd rather be honest than clever"(pp.7). The quote makes it sound like anything in this story that sounds fictitious is true, but as a reader I feel like I'm headed for a trapdoor on the floor.


Book One:
Well, it's official. I miss middle english. I have no idea what I just read. It started out simple enough and then it became sheep, thieves and shipwrecks into mysterious Utopia and I'm stumped. I know we'll dive into the chaos and confusion tomorrow, but I guess I'll share what simplicity I was able to squeeze out.

Raphael thinks he has found Utopia. The place and the ideal. What bothers me is that this "place" if it's real, or if it's a state of mind or an asylum, is known by nobody else so far in this book. He disappeared there for five years without his wife and children. It was perfect because he was alone? This makes me think that Raphael is some sort of outcast. Why does he not fit in with the society? He obviously thinks he is superior because he is a philosopher. He says over and over that a philosopher's ideas and thoughts would not be accepted in a king's court. But does he mean all philosophical ideas or just his own? There's something fishy going on.

Raphael describes the Utopia is surrounded by deserts, beasts, serpents and criminals and as you get closer to Utopia it is milder weather with better people and trade. This all sounds like some big , weird metaphor. Is his current life the outskirts of Utopia filled with cruel people as foul as beasts and pressure as hot as the son? Is he surrounded by rule breakers and vindictive people? Is Utopia simply his personal utopia?

I can't decide whether Raphael is an existentialist or whether he belongs in a straight jacket. I can't shake this feeling that Utopia isn't real. Right in the introductory letter, they share that Raphael has not said where it is. He does say that Romans and Egyptians shipwrecked there and stayed, but that's all we seem to get. He also says the tale will take a long time because he remembers everything. If he left to bring more people back, why hasn't he written it down or taken voyages there to show other people?

I'm going to foolishly put my foot down and state that Utopia is not real. It is real in the eyes of the believer but Peter and Thomas would see Utopia differently than Raphael does. My main question is really, is Raphael a philosopher or is he insane?