However, I soldiered on and read all of Book I.
Perhaps I disliked it so much because Raphael did not speak of Utopia as much as I thought he would -- the name of the novel is Utopia. He spoke of places around Utopia and how they handled things, but not Utopia itself. Then again, he could have spoken of Utopia and I just didn't pick up on it because I was scratching my head the whole time.
The one part I did find interest in was Raphael's talk on how to handle thieves. I agree completely with him. My favorite quote of his was his explanation on why murder is not a sufficient punishment:
If theft carries the same penalty as murder, the thief will be encouraged to kill the victim whom otherwise he would have only robbed. When the punishment is the same, murder is safer, since one conceals both crimes by killing the witness. (22).
Makes perfect sense to me. Raphael seems like a very practical man (to me, at least), so I'm interested in seeing how he portrays Utopia itself. Hopefully Book II will redeem itself for me.
Don't worry, you will get all-Utopia, all-the-time in Book II! (just as many footnotes, though!)
ReplyDeleteI had the same experience while reading this. I found it really boring and difficult to follow. At this point (I'm not sure if it will change with Book II) I really prefer Chaucer.
ReplyDeleteI had the same experience while reading this. I found it really boring and difficult to follow. At this point (I'm not sure if it will change with Book II) I really prefer Chaucer.
ReplyDeleteThe footnotes were oppressive at first glance, but I kind of enjoyed their little helpful hints about Utopia and the origin as well as Raphael's name all boiled down. Book I and II read very much like how I imagine an uptight lawyer-man to write...very boorish and know-it-all.
ReplyDeleteOh no, I'm right there with you! As much as I enjoy the food for thought and the philosophy that Utopia provides for the sake of intellectual stimulation and debate, I miss the fun, free-spirited, humorous tales of Chaucer!
ReplyDeleteIn the same breath, I feel as though the lessons to be learned are going to be more spelled out in this text than in the stories of the Canterbury Tales though! We won't be stumped, wondering what special lesson is to be learned from a climax triggered by a character sticking their rear end out the window or experiencing flood preparation gone wrong.