BETWEEN UTOPIA AND OPPOSITION TO ABSOLUTISM: SPARTA’S PRESENCE ON 17^th CENTURY ENGLISH AND FRENCH LITERATURE AND POLITICAL THOUGHT¹

ENTRE A UTOPIA E A OPOSIÇÃO AO ABSOLUTISMO: A PRESENÇA DE ESPARTA NA LITERATURA E NO PENSAMENTO POLÍTICO INGLÊS E FRANCÊS DO SÉCULO XVII

Sparta was a paradigm in both Antiquity and Modernity, exerting a powerful influence on Western thought and culture. In this article, we focus on the use, appropriation and instrumentalization that was made of ancient Sparta in literature and political thought in England and France in the 17th century, especially in England during the Republican period. We observe that, on the one hand, Sparta was invoked as a model and reference by opponents of monarchical absolutism; on the other hand, it served as inspiration for the construction of utopias, idyllic and timeless societies where equality and virtue prevailed among citizens.

Keywords
Sparta; paradigm; political thought; literature; XVII century; England; France