The Life of Thomas More

Rating:
Summary: A Biography, Not A Character Study
Review: "The Life Of Thomas More" introduces the reader, not only to his life story, but also to the world of the Upper Class Englishman of his day. A life long Londoner, More earned his way into a rarefied world of legends. Henry VIII was his patron turned persecutor, Erasmus was his friend and St. John Fisher was his co-martyr.

In his early life, More lived a life of sanctity, but displayed traits which would not suggest a saintly temperament. Working his way into high office in what was then Catholic England, More was confronted by the early infiltration of the Protestant movement. A strong supporter of the Church of Rome, More aggressively worked to suppress the rising heresy.

More's religious fervor, which initially put him in good stead, became a handicap when Henry VIII chose to divorce and remarry. His religious consistency then led his patrons to turn on him. His efforts to avoid taking a stand on the issues of the King's divorce and remarriage and papal supremacy ultimately failed to save his life. Recognizing his fate, More made his last testimonies at his trial and in prison to supplement his prior writings such as "Utopia".

Although this book does well at relating More's outstanding life and public career it fails to give the reader a feel for the man. Upon completion of the book, I felt that I knew about Thomas More, but did not feel that I knew him. I am glad that I read it, but I had hoped for more.

Rating:
Summary: "A Magnificent Read...Completes More in Context of His Time"
Review: Akroyd's work places Thomas More in context of the social, polictical, economical, eccelsiastical, and humanistic milieu of the sixteenth century Catholic England "More" knew. Other biographers are a bit more anachronistic in dealing with More's world and end up conjuring a sixteenth century "they" understand instead...Akroyd is far from this. Akroyd gives a vivid account of More's surroundings - his schools, were he lived, the churches and charter houses he frequented, and Catholic England in general. This doesn't suprise me since Akroyd is a Londoner himself. He also paints a wonderful picture of the piety pre-reformation England was akin to and describes the "common faith" all Londoner's held without trying to stigmatize anything and everything possible as other authors who write their histories out a reformation lense tend to do. So I found a More properly placed in his time and surroundings free from unecessary predjudice and critical pomp with a certain twist that surfaces More's personality and conscience in an age of importance and transition.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most elegant biographies I've ever read!
Review: As a voracious biography reader I have never come across a more loving, generous, and fascinating biography than this one by Peter Ackroyd. The book is resplendent with tales of life in the latter part of the middle ages. It is not only a biography but a cornucopia of interesting facts about this period of history. The author shows a remarkable ability to take you from the Christian baptism of Thomas More all the way to his death as a martyr under the brutish reign of King Henry the VIII. One of the most stunning, prolific, polished biographies I have ever read in my life! I highly recommend this one for anyone interested in history and in the life of Thomas More.

Rating:
Summary: A Character Study
Review: I enjoyed this book, but I do think that as a narrative history it is perhaps slightly flawed. The main strength (and problem) I have with this book is that the character study is so dominant that is completely ignores the larger historical picture that More lived within and, at times the dominant philosophy, that may have allowed a deeper understanding of More.

The gnawing problem I have with this book is the main currents that More struggled against and the ideas he fought for are little outlined. The church that he so selflessly defended is little described beyond its social context in which More was raised. The central point of More was that the sublimation of the time honoured traditions (though admittedly flawed) could not be merely circumvented by mans personal appeal to God. Direct dialougue with God allowed a virtual pandora's box of interpretation and clash of beliefs that could only lead to mass bloodshed --- and he was right! This belief is left unexplored and the historical events, such as the peasants revolt in Germany that More abhored and used in his polemical tracts against Luther (a thoroughly scatologically unsavoury character) is not described. In addition Charles V sack of Rome and its influence on the relations with Henry VII are not considered relevant.

So I feel dissatified because I am not getting a wide historical narrative. Although I understand the texture of the stones that he worshipped upon and the feel of the robes he wore, I have little feeling of the times that surrounded him. For the first-time reader of More, this may appear disconcerting.

I realise that my critique cuts another way: if Ackroyd did write the larger historical narrative I wanted, he may have digressed into the narrative historical self-abuse of the 1000 page biography (only acceptable in the most exceptional of circumstances).

I also get no sense of a building dennoument in the encounter with Henry. There is a annoying blase telling of the story with some bright moments -- the book gets better as one goes through it -- it is dense and quite frankly, a little boring in the beginning.

ALso the Olde Englysh translations do detract from the flow of the narrative. Although it is easily understood ones reading flow slows from 700 words per minute, to 50 words per minute in the old English translations. He should revise it from the 16th Century vernacular to modern spelling.

In final analysis I feel that I really did not understand the man. I feel that I need to get a hold of a better biography of the man. So if Ackroyd succeeded in doing this, then it was worth the read.





Rating:
Summary: I was looking for more
Review: I had looked forward to reading this biography after reading the advance reviews of it. However, I have not rated it any higher than I did because there were, to me, two flaws with it.

The first is the the author's unusual approach to analying his subject on the basis on how he appears in several portraits that he sat for. Ackroyd tells us a lot about More's personality and manner on the basis of his appearance and his facial expressions in the portraits and he spends quite a few pages in doing so. He tells us a lot about other family members as well when they show up in the various portraits. I would have preferred that these parts of the book had been edited out.

The second flaw in Ackroyd's book is his use of the original Olde English spelling when quoting More's written work. Perhaps some of his readers enjoyed these frequent quotations but, to me, they were like speed bumps in the flow of how the book read. If Ackroyd were to do a biography on Chairman Mao would he put all of Mao's quotations in the original Chinese? I realize we're talking about the English language but you try reading this book and see if you don't come to the same conclusion. It reads poorly as a result of this approach because you have to stop and sound out each word one at a time. They spelled a lot differently back then but it ceased to be quaint after the first few chapters.

Having disparaged the book, let me praise it in conclusion for the scholarly work that the author has done. Although a bit tedious in the middle, Mr. Ackroyd did an outstanding job in how he finished this tragic/heroic tale of a man for who stood tall for what he believed in.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring and Real
Review: My interest in Thomas More began when I learned that he was the Patron Saint of Lawyers, when I as about to graduate from law school. This book seemed to be the most realistic and comprehensive work on the life of Thomas More. Naturally, many of the works devoted to him are much more spiritual or political in nature. Peter Ackroyd, however, covers it all. His discussion of More's childhood and family life provide insights into his political career and spirtuality.

At first glance, the contrast between More's "worldly" political career and his deep, sincere spirituality might seem jarring to contemporary eyes. Ackroyd deftly points out, though, that for More's contemporaries, there really isn't a contrast. Religion, politics, and social hierarchy were all part of the same system -- to a point. The Life of Thomas More shows that, given the right elements (e.g., Henry the Eighth on the throne, the Protestant Reformation in full swing, More's own faith), religion and politics can (and will) clash violently.

Ackroyd's writing is, quite simply, wonderful. While the material can be quite dense, Ackroyd's prose keeps you moving swiftly through the book. Although the book is certainly well-researched and up to anyone's standards of scholarship, Ackroyd's tone is not at all distant.

On a more personal note, I found Thomas More's strength and faith to be very inspiring. While few of us will become martyrs to our faith or wear a hairshirt, Thomas More's life shows that strength of character and strong faith require a lot of work, but are valuable attributes in a complicated world.

Rating:
Summary: A true Life of St. Thomas More
Review: Peter Ackroyd has written a superb biography of this great figure Renaissance England, and Catholic history. His depiction of the sheer geogprahy of More's London world is so real that it served as guide for this reviewer on a visit to London who could trace More's steps, copy in hand. Ackroyd puts the humanist scholar, statesman, and saint in his own context and avoids the all too common trap of trying to "read" More against our own post-Christian secular world, where heresy is a "virtue", rather than a threat to the stability of an entire social and spiritual order. The only complaint this reviewer has is that Ackroyd has chosen to quote More's English works in their original spelling and grammar. This at times approximates reading a foreign language. It is this reviewer's opinion that he would have done better to use a more modern English, as his translations of More's Latin works are clear and eminently readable. All in all, however, a superb book !

Rating:
Summary: The best contempory text on the life of St. Thomas More!
Review: Peter Ackroyd is a master of drawing the reader into the experience of Thomas More. He provides a well researched and eloquent work that justly portrays the man and saint. Even though Sir Thomas More was emersed in the difficulties of state politics, economics, and law, Peter Ackroyd never loses sight of More's deep Catholic faith: "[The Mass] was the single most important aspect of his life, and the source from which much of his earnestness and his irony, his gravity and his playfulness, springs" (112).

Rating:
Summary: The best contempory text on the life of St. Thomas More!
Review: Peter Ackroyd is a master of drawing the reader into the experience of Thomas More. He provides a well researched and eloquent work that justly portrays the man and saint. Even though Sir Thomas More was emersed in the difficulties of state politics, economics, and law, Peter Ackroyd never loses sight of More's deep Catholic faith: "[The Mass] was the single most important aspect of his life, and the source from which much of his earnestness and his irony, his gravity and his playfulness, springs" (112).

Rating:
Summary: One of the most elegant biographies I've ever read!
Review: Peter Ackroyd's love of London and its stories shines through in this wonderful book. The life of Thomas More is one of the great stories of London. Ackroyd is unmatched in his ability to give just the right historical context to make his telling of his subject's story vivid and alive. The author loves his subject enough to give More an honest and complex portrait. The writing is wonderful, but there is also no white washing or simplifying for the kiddies.

Yet More's greatness and honesty are clear and impressive. His humanity and what we would judge as failings (often mistakenly, I believe) serve, in my mind, to accentuate what he was able to become out of the lump of imperfect clay we all are. His work and faith and integrity stand as a monument to his name for all time.

There are some wonderful pictures and discussions of the portraits in the context of More's life. This is very good stuff and I am grateful to the author for this brilliant book.