New Atlantis Literary Elements

Utopian novel (unfinished)

The fictional utopian island of Bensalem during the early 17th century

The text is told from the first-person perspective of the captain of a lost ship who accidentally arrives at the haven of Bensalem. The rest of the text recounts what he discovers there through conversations with various interlocutors.

Mysterious, inquisitive, redemptive, celebratory

There is no real antagonist in the story, except perhaps the sensibilities of those who disagree with the vision of this utopia. The protagonists, therefore, are those who propagate and enact it.

There is no conflict in this untraditional novel; it rather describes a utopian society in which conflict has disappeared. in that sense, the absence of conflict becomes an ideological conflict for the people of Europe, to whom the text is addressed.

The climax of the text occurs when the Father of Salomon's House describes, in great detail, how Salomon's House is organized and what its purpose is.

When the sailors first encounter the people of the island, they are handed a note that includes the sign of the cross. This symbol foreshadows the connection that the islanders and the sailors will share through their practicing of Christianity.

The inhabitants of Bensalem tend to understate everything, speaking simply while not shying away from the importance and perfection of their state. Their reserved way of speaking helps emphasize how, to them, the concept of a utopia is natural and easily attainable.

Many allusions are made to the Bible, which makes sense considering Bacon's context and his intended audience, both of which were saturated in Christianity. A particular example is an apocryphal letter from the apostle Bartholomew, which the Bensalemites find and take for a sign.

Important imagery in the text includes light, clothing, ceremony, and the darkness of Europe.

Bensalem is organized around the notion that science and religion are not at odds with one another. This may have been a paradox to seventeenth-century readers (and even contemporary readers), but that paradox is foundational to the understanding of Bensalem as a utopia, or perfect society.

The Father of Salomon's House parallels the King of England (at the time, Charles I), as he is both an authoritative and near-divine leader. However, unlike Charles I, the Father of Salomon's House is dedicated to the union of church and state in the name of scientific discovery.

The narrator often uses the term "Bensalem" to describe the ideals of its inhabitants, an example of efficient metonymy used for ease of reference.

The roles of Salomon's House detailed by the Father are personifications of different elements of the scientific method. "Merchants of Light" represent knowledge already known, while roles like "Interpreters of Light" represent drawing conclusions based on research and experimentation.