![]() ![]() ![]() Hence it is, that while other countries part with these metals as though one tore-out their bowels, the Utopians would look upon giving-in all they had of them, when occasion required, as parting only with a trifle, or as we should esteem the loss of a penny. And thus they take care, by all possible means, to render gold and silver of no esteem. Of the same metals they also make chains and fetters for their slaves on some of whom, as a badge of infamy, they hang an ear-ring of gold, and make others wear a chain or a coronet of the same metal. They eat and drink from earthen ware or glass, which make an agreeable appearance though they be of little value while their chamber-pots and close-stools are made of gold and silver and this not only in their public halls, but in their private houses. To prevent all these inconveniencies, they have fallen upon a plan, which agrees with their other policy, but is very different from ours and which will hardly gain belief among us who value gold so much and lay it up so carefully. Should they work them into vessels or other articles, they fear that the people might grow too fond of plate, and be unwilling to melt it again, if a war made it necessary. Were these metals to be laid-up in a tower, it would give birth to that foolish mistrust into which the people are apt to fall, and create suspicion that the prince and senate designed to sacrifice the public interest to their own advantage. ![]() Man's folly hath enhanced the value of gold and silver because of their scarcity whereas nature, like a kind parent, hath freely given us the best things, such as air, earth, and water, but hath hidden from us those which are vain and useless. For we want iron nearly as much as fire and water, but nature hath marked out no use so essential for the other metals, that they may not easily be dispensed with. ![]() Thus it is plain, they must prefer iron to either silver or gold. Having no use for money among themselves, but keeping it as a provision against events which seldom happen, and between which are generally long intervals, they value it no farther than it deserves, that is, in proportion to its use. Yet one who can judge aright will not wonder, that since their constitution differeth so materially from ours, their value of gold and silver also, should be measured by a very different standard. They also point to the various literary frameworks of utopian and dystopian narratives, thus connecting stories from the past, present and future of both real and imaginary and communities.Sir Thomas More: Excerpt from "Utopia" (1516) Īll things appear incredible to us, as they differ more or less from our own manners. The articles in this volume question and challenge the power of the word, the stability of meaning, and the relationship between thought and action in the construction of utopia and dystopia. Through narratives of confession, and indeed through silence itself, the unconscious emerges and desire is articulated. They define the world we live in and the world we wish to live in. This volume focuses on the importance of narratives in utopian literature. Is the utopian project dead? Is it possible to imagine a utopian society or a utopian world in the aftermath of the collapse of ideologies? This book contains eighteen essays which are the result of the 7th International Conference of Utopian Studies held in Spain in 2006, either debating the subject, or suggesting alternative readings to some of the theoretical ideas raised within utopian studies. ![]()
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