Controversial, contradictory, and mysterious, Utopia by Sir Thomas More has engaged scholars and intrigued readers since its initial publication in the 16th century. More's imagining of Utopia presents a solution to many of the social ills discussed in the first part of the text, yet seems also to embody a rejection of More's own well-documented Catholic beliefs. The novel popularized the concept of utopian societies in literary works, and can even be credited with the first introduction of the Greek term utopia into the English language.