The Utopian Family

Abstract

Thinkers such Thomas More and Jonathan Swift expressed their disenchantments with human society through the creation of fictional utopias. To the characters of More and Swift’s fictional travel narratives, the utopian societies are good and just. However, individuals of these utopian societies sacrifice the characteristics of liberal familial relations most valued today. Utopia by Thomas More and the Houyhnhnm society in Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift may seem perfect, but under the visage of perfection lies the relinquishment of the foundational virtues freedom of family size, upbringing of children, and familial love from which families maintain strength and connectedness. In both works, the sacrifice of modern liberal familial characteristics are predominantly seen in the regulation of household size, upbringing of children, and marriage.