ABSTRACT
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.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
chapter |24 pages
Introduction
part I|142 pages
Morris’s Life, Family, and Environs
part II|92 pages
Art: Preservation, Interior Design, and Adaptation
part III|126 pages
Literature: Poetry, Art, Translation, and Fantasy
part IV|102 pages
Literature and Socialism
part V|36 pages
Books: Collecting and Design