This 1987 book investigates the dismissal of William Morris's romances as self-indulgent fantasy, looking at the ways in which our sense of the 'escapism' of Morris's fairy-tale writing can be modified or expanded when seen in relation to the development of his imagination in other spheres, both political and creative.
Winner of the Wolfson History Prize, the essential biography of the father of the Arts and Crafts movement. The author, Fiona MacCarthy, is the curator of the National Portrait Gallery's 2014-15 exhibition Anarchy and Beauty: William Morris and His Legacy.'One of the finest biographies ever published in this country' A. S. Byatt Since his death in 1896, William Morris has come to be regarded as one of the giants of the Victorian era. But his genius was so many-sided and so profound that its full extent has rarely been grasped. Many people may find it hard to believe that the greatest English designer of his time, possibly of all time, could also be internationally renowned as a founder of the socialist movement, and could have been ranked as a poet together with Tennyson and Browning.With penetrating insight, Fiona MacCarthy has managed to encompass all the different facets of Morris's complex character, shedding light on his immense creative powers as artist and designer of furniture, fabrics, wallpaper, stained glass, tapestry and books, and as a poet, novelist and translator; his psychology and his emotional life; his frenetic activities as polemicist and reformer; and his remarkable circle of friends, literary, artistic and political, including Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones. Fiona MacCarthy's skilful drawing together of these disparate elements makes for a comprehensive and compelling biography.
William Morris (1834–96) was an English poet, decorative artist, translator, romance writer, book designer, preservationist, socialist theorist, and political activist, whose admirers have been drawn to the sheer intensity of his artistic endeavors and efforts to live up to radical ideals of social justice. This Companion draws together historical and critical responses to the impressive range of Morris’s multi-faceted life and activities: his homes, travels, family, business practices, decorative artwork, poetry, fantasy romances, translations, political activism, eco-socialism, and book collecting and design. Each chapter provides valuable historical and literary background information, reviews relevant opinions on its subject from the late-nineteenth century to the present, and offers new approaches to important aspects of its topic. Morris’s eclectic methodology and the perennial relevance of his insights and practice make this an essential handbook for those interested in art history, poetry, translation, literature, book design, environmentalism, political activism, and Victorian and utopian studies.
A groundbreaking fantasy novel, The Wood Beyond the World tells the story of a young man, Golden Walter, who finds himself in a strange and frightening world after being abandoned by his wife and lost at sea. The novel takes the form of Walter’s quest for the visionary Maid that he sees at the beginning of his journey, and takes him from his failed marriage through temptation to emotional fulfillment. Set in Morris’s imaginative recreation of a medieval world, the novel is full of vivid imagery and surprising emotional realism. This edition collates for the first time the three early texts of the work. The introduction discusses the place of the book among Morris’s other prose romances, the events of his life, and his activities as a visual artist and a socialist. The appendices provide excerpts from Morris’s translation of Beowulf, other medieval texts read by Morris, and writings by his contemporaries on politics and aesthetics.
Blackthorn, on the lined notebook of the set, was designed by John Henry Dearle and printed by Jeffrey & Co. as a wallpaper sample for Morris & Co. in 1892. Dearle also designed the Golden Lily wallpaper pattern, 1880-1917, used for the continental grid style journal, and Seaweed, from the 1890s, used for the blank paper notebook. All three wallpaper samples are in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
This well illustrated book celebrates every aspect of the wide-ranging achievements of William Morris - writer, designer, cultural critic, revolutionary socialist - with particular emphasis on their relevance to our own times. The book makes available up-to-date Morris scholarship in accessible form. Written by a group of international scholars who took part in a conference marking the centenary of the death of Morris in 1896, the book has sections devoted to Morris and Literature (covering texts from The Earthly Paradise to the late romances); Morris, the Arts & Crafts and the New World (including discussions of his influence in Rhode Island, Boston, Ontario and New Zealand); and Morris, Gender and Politics (with fresh consideration of his relation to Victorian ideas of manliness and of the particular qualities of his anti-statist politics). The latter section also draws attention to a hitherto unknown play by Morris's daughter May and concludes with an account of his biographer, the late E.P. Thompson.
New title in the Flame Tree Foiled Quarto Journal collection, combining beautiful art with high-quality production: bleed-proof, acid-free FSC pages, a pocket, ribbon bookmarks and a magnetic flap. Perfect as a gift or for all notetakers, list-makers and journal users. A FLAME TREE NOTEBOOK. Beautiful and luxurious the Foiled Quarto Journals combine high-quality production and FSC pages with magnificent art. Perfect as a gift, and an essential personal choice for writers, notetakers, list-makers, travellers, students, poets and diarists. Features a wide range of well-known and modern artists, with new artworks published throughout the year. A NEW SERIES. The Quarto format is named after the earliest form of European printed publication, dating back to the 1400s when Gutenberg invented the first moveable-type printing press, heralding a revolution in mass communication, spreading ideas of literature, science and philosophy of the Renaissance. We celebrate this with our range of fine art and contemporary illustrations. BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED. The highly crafted covers are printed on foil paper, embossed then foil stamped, complemented by the luxury binding and rose red end-papers. The covers are created by our artists and designers who spend many hours transforming original artwork into gorgeous 3d masterpieces that feel good in the hand, and look wonderful on a desk, table, in the hand and in your bag. PRACTICAL, EASY TO USE. Flame Tree Notebooks come with practical features too: the high-quality, 120-gsm lined pages are FSC, Acid Free and Bleed Proof - suitable for all pen types, such as gel and rollerball. A pocket at the back for scraps and receipts, two ribbon markers to help keep track of more than just a to-do list, and a magnetic side flap helps keep everything neat and tidy. THE ARTIST. Born in Kent, William Morris was an outstanding character of many talents, being an architect, writer, social campaigner, artist and, with his Kelmscott Press, an important figure of the Arts and Crafts movement. Many of us probably know him best, however, from his superb furnishings and textile designs, intricately weaving together natural motifs in a highly stylized two-dimensional fashion influenced by medieval conventions. THE FINAL WORD. As William Morris said, "Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
The popularity and influence of William Morris cannot be underestimated – a man of many talents, he was a poet, writer, social campaigner, artist, designer and, with his Kelmscott Press, a fine book printer and publisher. A hugely important figure of the Arts and Crafts movement, he is best known for his superior wallpaper and textile designs, intricately weaving together natural motifs in highly stylized two-dimensional patterns with medieval influences. Organized into five sections – Life, Inspiration & Influences, Media & Techniques, Politics & Society and Arts & Crafts – The World’s Greatest Art: William Morris enables the reader to consider Morris from different angles and contexts, providing a broader understanding of this great artist.