The High Middle Ages

The era was also one of rapid urbanization; after centuries of relative obscurity, the cities of the High Middle Ages became once again a dominate feature of the social landscape. One of the striking features of the medieval city was its freedom: Stadtluft macht Frei, said the German proverb, city air makes one free. According to Lewis Mumford,

In certain respects, the medieval town had

succeeded as no previous urban culture had done. For

the first time, the majority of the inhabitants of a

city were free men: except for special groups, like

the Jews, city dweller and citizen were now synonymous

This medieval freedom was, however, sharply limited in its scope. If the medieval city-dweller was far less likely to be a slave than had been the case in the ancient city, nor, in spite of his freedom in law, was he entirely free. The spirit of medieval civilization was highly structured and heirarchical; this w

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that More felt it necessary to emphasize the force of these strictures in his Utopia suggests that the reality in England had slipped far from what he regarded as the ideal. In other respects, Utopia may be viewed as backward-looking in its essential features. Meals, More tells us, are taken communally, in public dining-halls; though eating at home is not against the law, it is strongly discouraged. "For one thing, it's considered rather bad form," though, on a lighter note, "it seems silly to go to all the trouble of preparing an inferior meal, when there's an absolutely delicious one waiting for you at the dining-hall just down the street" (More 81-82). The communal dining-hall had no direct analogy in England's past, to be sure, but it is highly suggestive of the refectory of a monastery. It may also be reflective of the old custom, among the nobility, of lord and retainers sharing a meal in the Great Hall, a tradition that had in More's day given way, save on special occasions, to more private dining. More's intent here seems, then, to be to reverse the increasing individualism and atomism of society. We see this in other features of Utopia as well. Travel is strictly regulated and discouraged; to travel beyond the
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Approximate Word count = 3278
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page)