“Thomas More’s Utopia in the Italian Seicento”
In 1519, the publication of Utopia by the Florentine press Giunti sparked immediate interest in More’s text among Italian intellectuals. Over the next 35 years, Utopia was imitated, included in elaborate literary games, translated into Italian (1548), and inserted into larger works. However, the fascination with More’s work abruptly ceased midway through the century. In the Seicento, Utopia recaptured the attention of Italian authors. A crucial factor in the revival of More’s text was Giambattista Bidelli’s 1620 edition. Unlike the earlier Italian version, “Bidelli’s Utopia” contained the paratext that had accompanied the original edition, thus providing Italian readers with a more accurate picture of how More had conceived Utopia. Scholars (Manual and Manuel, Firpo) argue that the resurgence of interest in More’s text during the Seicento lacked the inventiveness of the previous century’s utopian endeavors. However, a careful analysis of the literary and conceptual features of 17th-century Italian works that engaged with Utopia tells a different story. The renewed focus on More’s text in the Italian Seicento led to compelling ways of reimagining Utopia. Some authors expanded upon the limited utopian attempts of the 16 th century by developing more complex and theoretically sophisticated utopias. Others creatively transformed Utopia by employing unusual literary genres. However, the most innovative development was that Utopia was not just used or imitated—it was also examined critically. Some thinkers investigated its place in the history of utopian thought by considering its relation to ancient utopias, while others tried to integrate More’s utopianism into political philosophy.
