"City of the Sun" Campanella: summary, main idea, analysis

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Summary of Campanella's "City of the Sun" will give you a complete picture of this software philosophical work of the 17th century. This is a classic utopia, which has become one of the most famous and significant works of the author. The book was written in 1602, first published in 1603.

History of Creation

Summary of Campanella's "City of the Sun" allows you to find out the main events of this book. It is interesting what its author wrote in the prison of the Inquisition after the unsuccessful uprising in Calabria in 1599. The rebels hoped to overthrow the power of the Spaniards, establishing an ideal order, but failed.

The philosopher spent two years under investigation, he was threatened with the death pen alty, but as a result of torture, which lasted almost two days, he was declared insane. It took the author six months to recover from the effects of torture.

Campanella himself until the age of 34 was a Dominican monk. After serving time in prison, he went to France,where he spent the rest of his life.

He was a famous religious thinker and philosopher, poet. He advocated the empirical nature of science, defended the ideas of Galileo, even when he was in the prison of the Inquisition, defended the independence of science from the church.

What is the book about?

Retelling the summary of the "City of the Sun" by Campanella is not easy, since it is still not an artistic, but a philosophical work. Its name is a direct reference to the work "City of God" by Blessed Augustine. The text is written in a "harsh" style.

In its form, Campanella's utopia "City of the Sun" is a dialogue between interlocutors whose names are not given. One of them is the Navigator (only that he is from Genoa is known about him), the second is called the Chief Hotel, apparently, the grand master of the Order of the Hospitallers is meant.

If you retell the summary of Campanella's "City of the Sun" from the very beginning, then the work begins without any preamble with the request of the Chief Innkeeper that the Sailor tell about his latest adventures.

It turns out that the Sailor has returned from an island in the Indian Ocean, where he ended up in the City of the Sun. He goes on to describe how life works in this city.

Government

By analyzing the "City of the Sun" by Campanella, we can conclude that in his work the author outlined his ideas about the ideal state. Most likely, this is what he wanted to build after the uprising inCalabria, in which he participated.

The government in the City of the Sun resembles a theocracy. The priest is the supreme ruler. At the same time, in the book he is called a Metaphysician, which is not accidental. At Campanella, this post was to go to the most learned resident of the city. As soon as someone wiser than him is found, he relinquishes his post.

He has three co-rulers whose names can be translated as Wisdom, Power and Love. The main aspects of life are divided between them. The metaphysician confers with them, but on all fundamental issues he decides on his own.

A lot of officials help them, there is also a Council, which includes all citizens over 20 years old.

Recalling the plot of "The City of the Sun" by Tommaso Campanella, a summary will help you quickly brush up on the main details of the work. The main social structure in the City is the community of all life. Its implementation is controlled by the administration. Almost everything the inhabitants have in common, except for wives, children and housing. Even all the inhabitants of the City eat together.

At the same time, production is based on universal labor service, there is no slave ownership. Every citizen is required to work four hours a day. Moreover, only physical labor is meant, since it is further indicated that residents spend the rest of their time reading and doing science.

Total unification

When analyzing the "City of the Sun" by Tommaso Campanella, one can note that much in this societyunified. For example, women and men wear almost the same clothes, there is a prescribed form of what to wear in the city itself and what to wear outside of it. It even specifies how often to wash and change it.

Described in detail how the holidays are held, even art is regulated in the city. Relations between men and women are under state control. Producing offspring is called public interest. At the same time, the birth of children is compared with the breeding of livestock.

Which man, which woman should have sex, and how often the chiefs of the labor detachments, the doctor and the astrologer decide. The sexual act itself takes place under the control of a special official. It is believed that in addition to procreation, the relationship between the sexes has an important function of satisfying a physiological need.

Upbringing and education

The upbringing of children in this society is completely taken over by the state. During training, children are divided into squads, like adults during work.

From the age of eight, they begin to study the natural sciences, then move on to crafts. Those less capable are sent to the village, while they have a chance to return to the city if they still prove themselves.

After graduation, a citizen is considered ready for a position. In which industry he showed himself best, the mentors decide.

Punishment system

In this society, in which the family, freedom of creativity and labor, property are abolished, there is a place for violations of the law. Campanella detaildescribes the punishment system. Malice, ingratitude, denial of due respect, despondency, laziness, buffoonery, lies are considered crimes. As punishment, the guilty are deprived of communication with women or a common meal.

Sodomy is punishable by the obligation to wear shameful clothing, and if the offender repeats the crime, the death pen alty awaits. The judiciary in the city is combined with the administrative.

In the ideal state of Campanella there are no executioners and guards. The death pen alty is carried out by the hands of the people, that is, the guilty are stoned to death. In general, punishments are considered one of the elements of the education of residents.

Religion

The religion of the Sun is practiced in the City. There are two aspects to this belief. At the heart of the state religion, since the management of the City coincides with the sacred service.

Priests of the officials are only the highest officials, who are responsible for clearing the conscience of citizens. As a result, administrative, judicial and religious power is united in the same hands.

At the same time, the religion of the Sun as presented by Campanella appears as the worship of the Universe. It is perceived as the most ideal and rational mechanism that can only exist. In fact, this is a combination of rationalistic science and religion with a bias in astrology.

The Temple of the Sun occupies the central place in the City. It looks more like a natural science museum than a church. On the altar there is a globe with the image of heaven and earth, on the vault of the main dome -stars.

Funeral

It is noteworthy that in the ideal society of Campanella, the bodies of the dead are not buried. To avoid pestilence and epidemics, they are burned.

At the same time, it is fire that is compared with the living and noble element, which "comes to the sun and returns to it." Thus, as the author notes, the cult of idolatry is excluded.

In this situation, Campanella is clearly hinting at the cult of worshiping the relics of saints. In his works one could often find attacks against the Catholic Church. However, he could not directly criticize the church, so he supported ideological objections with utilitarian sanitary arguments.

Analysis

The main ideas of Campanella in the "City of the Sun" are stated quite clearly. This is his idea of an ideal world, an ideal society, which he sought to build. At the same time, some moments caused rejection among contemporaries.

A few years after the release of the utopia, the author even wrote another essay. In On the Best State, he analyzed the most typical expressions against the social ideas set forth in his previous book.

For example, he justified the absence of private property by citing the community of the apostles as an example, and, speaking of the community of wives, he referred to various church fathers. Moreover, he argued that the possibility of the existence of such a state was confirmed by experience. He cites the Anabaptists as an example. In the 17th century it wasone of the most ruthless and cruel religious sects. Thomas Müntzer, leader of the peasant war in Germany, came from her.

In T. Campanella's utopia "City of the Sun" there is an influence on the author of the works of Thomas More and Plato, while the work stands out for its astrological context. Interestingly, among communists and social democrats, the work became popular again in the middle of the 19th century.