2014/06/19 by Anna–Maria Hartmann · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · #Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes
paper · doi:10.1111/rest.12084
openalex publication_date 2014/06/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/28
The antiquity of F rancis B acon's utopian state B ensalem in N ew A tlantis has mostly been ignored by critics who avoided stressing the past in a text so focussed on the future. This article, however, is a detailed interpretation of the antiquity of B ensalem, concentrating on its intertextual relationship with P lato's T imaeus and the fictional chronology B acon invented for this most ancient culture. The article argues that the antiquity of B ensalem is a reaction to B acon's growing concern about recurring intellectual decline in world history. My analysis of B ensalem's chronology shows how B acon imagined a triumph over time might be possible. It offers insights into his mental map of intellectual history as well as into the narrative structure of the utopia. By using T imaeus as an intertext for N ew A tlantis , B acon aims to demonstrate its victory over older intellectual cultures. However, I suggest, the intertextuality of N ew A tlantis proves ambiguous. It invites doubts about both B ensalem's claims to longevity and B acon's confidence in the future of the Great Instauration .