ABSTRACT
The lack of intellectual freedom under the absolute monarchy forced writers to hide their ideas in the form of fantastic novels. While the utopias of the English Revolution are chiefly concerned with economic and political problems, those of the latter half of the seventeenth and of the eighteenth century are mainly interested in philosophical and religious questions. The French utopias of the seventeenth and eighteenth century are strongly influenced by Thomas More. In spite of the care taken by the utopian writers to cover their ideas under the cloak of fantastic romances, they had to protect themselves against prosecution by printing their books abroad or giving them a false imprint. Throughout the eighteenth century, utopias became increasingly popular and there is hardly a corner of the earth which did not provide a setting for some ideal commonwealth.
