A Thomas More Sourcebook

This Source Book brings together classic texts by and about Thomas More—poet, scholar, statesman, family man, educational reformer, philosopher, historian, and saint. In addition to serving as an introduction to More’s life and writings for the general reader, this collection is a helpful companion to the study of More’s literary and philosophical masterwork, Utopia, and to the study of sixteenth-century history, literature, philosophy, or politics. The writings focus upon More’s views of education, political theory, church-state relations, love and friendship, practical politics, and the vexing issues of conscience. They shed light on the distinctive Christian humanism that More expressed and embodied. Also included in this book are three famous sixteenth-century accounts of More’s life by Erasmus, Roper, and a team of London playwrights including William Shakespeare.