Thomas More
Humanism and Heresy
Andrew Hadfield, Joanne PaulAn accessible reappraisal of Thomas More’s thought, context and enduring legacy
Thomas More: Humanism and Heresy offers a clear and engaging introduction to one of the most influential and contested figures of the English Renaissance. Situating More’s major works within the humanist movement and the debates surrounding the Lutheran ‘heresy’ and the Tudor court, Andrew Hadfield and Joanne Paul reveal how his ideas grew from – yet often strained against – the intellectual currents of his time. Through vivid contemporary illustrations and quotations, they bring fresh clarity to More's texts, from Utopia to his late polemics, while offering original insights into the character and convictions behind them. By tracing both the brilliance and tensions of More’s legacy, this book invites readers to reconsider the man who helped shape modern debates about faith, reason and political conscience.
An accessible reappraisal of Thomas More’s thought, context and enduring legacy
Thomas More: Humanism and Heresy offers a clear and engaging introduction to one of the most influential and contested figures of the English Renaissance. Situating More’s major works within the humanist movement and the debates surrounding the Lutheran ‘heresy’ and the Tudor court, Andrew Hadfield and Joanne Paul reveal how his ideas grew from – yet often strained against – the intellectual currents of his time. Through vivid contemporary illustrations and quotations, they bring fresh clarity to More's texts, from Utopia to his late polemics, while offering original insights into the character and convictions behind them. By tracing both the brilliance and tensions of More’s legacy, this book invites readers to reconsider the man who helped shape modern debates about faith, reason and political conscience.
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Sir Thomas More emerges from this valuable and compelling new study of his writings as a vigorous and enigmatic author who shaped the political, religious, and literary life of early Tudor England. Andrew Hadfield and Joanne Paul clearly document the major questions in More studies, while also offering tantalizing fresh insights. This excellent book should satisfy established scholars as well as those encountering More for the first time.
'Mark Rankin, Professor of English at James Madison University and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society
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This is an accessible and useful introduction to an influential thinker and literary figure. By examining More’s works in context – including his lesser-known writings, such as his English poetry, Life of Pico and Last Things – the book traces coherent threads across his otherwise seemingly disparate “humanist” and “polemical” works: namely a concern with the corrosive effects of pride on collective authority and community cohesion, and an awareness of death as the great leveller. The concise, richly informative biography at the start orientates readers, and it is beautifully illustrated, with an apposite and illuminating choice of colour plates.
'Cathy Shrank, Professor of Tudor and Renaissance Literature at the University of Sheffield
Note on the Text
Introduction
One: Early Humanist Writings
Two : More and Erasmus
Three: Utopia
Four: Writing on Heresy
Five: Oath of Supremacy, Trial and Late Spiritual Writings
Epilogue
Chronology
References
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
Andrew Hadfield (Author)
Andrew Hadfield is Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Sussex. He is the author of John Donne: In the Shadow of Religion (2021) and Thomas Nashe and Late Elizabethan Writing (2023), both published by Reaktion Books.
Joanne Paul (Author)
Joanne Paul is Honorary Associate Professor in Intellectual History at the University of Sussex. She has published extensively on the life and work of Thomas More, including Thomas More: A Life and Death in Tudor England (2025).
