Thomas More: Humanism and Heresy - Hardcover

by Andrew Hadfield (Author), Joanne Paul (Author)

An intellectual biography of the Catholic martyr and English humanist, grounded in the intellectual currents of early modern Europe.

This book 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 Reformation and the Tudor court, Andrew Hadfield and Joanne Paul reveal how More's 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 convictions behind them. By tracing tensions in More's legacy, this book invites readers to reconsider the man who helped shape modern debates about faith, reason, and political conscience.

Author Biography

Andrew Hadfield is emeritus professor of English at the University of Sussex. He is the author of John Donne and Thomas Nashe and Late Elizabethan Writing, both published by Reaktion Books. Joanne Paul is an honorary associate professor of intellectual history at the University of Sussex. Her books include Thomas More: A Life and Death in Tudor England.