William Morris
From Romantic to Revolutionary

Thompson, E. P.

Publisher: Pantheon
Year First Published: {14214 William Morris WILLIAM MORRIS From Romantic to Revolutionary Thompson, E. P. Pantheon A biography of the nineteenth-century socialist, designer, artist, and intellectual William Morris. 1955 1977 825pp BC14214s-WilliamMorris.jpg B Book Born into a privileged family, William Morris grew to become a poet, writer and painter. As this biography shows, the British Socialist led a strenuous, imaginative and intellectual life. Morris was a designer and artist who hated capitalism. He disapproved of the 'squalour and anarchy' that existed throughout London and wished to rid the city of its 'degraded architecture' by becoming a painter and designer. He felt England faced the 'immovable façade of Victorian society' in its architectural development. Ruskin's writings were perhaps of greatest importance in leading Morris toward his choice of art as the central battleground. The Mannerists, who were heavily influenced by Raphael and the Renaissance, led the 19th century art world. Morris was a part of a movement against the Mannerists: the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, which Morris regarded as 'an audacious attempt and revolt against the Academical Art,' which was taught in the schools of Europe. For Morris, the most important result of the new scholarship that came out of the ashes of the Middle Ages was in the reconstruction of an idea of a real community of human beings whose seeds lay in pre-capitalist notions of community. Morris and his allies shared a hatred of Victorianism, had a persistent underlying element of respect for the personality of women, and a yearning for a fully equal relationship of love and companionship between the sexes. This biography also deals extensively with Morris' involvement in the socialist movement and the revolutionary and artistic struggles of his time. [Abstract by Vei Chong] Table of Contents Foreword List of Abbreviations Part I: William Morris and the Romantic Revolt 1. Sir Launcelot and Mr Gradgrind 2. Oxford - Carlyle and Ruskin 3. Rosetti and the Pre-Raphaelites 4. The First Joust with Victorianism Part II: The Years of Conflict 5. William Morris and the Decorative Arts 6. The Poetry of Despair 7. "Love is Enough" 8. Hope and Courage 9. Action 10. The 'Anti-Scrape' 11. The River of Fire Part III: Practical Socialism 12. The First 200 13. The First Propaganda 14. The Split 15. The Socialist League 1885-6: "Making Socialists" 16. The Socialists made contact with the masses, 1887-8 17. The Last Years of the Socialist League 18. Towards a United Socialist Party, 1890-96 Part IV: Necessity and Desire 19. Necessity and Desire Appendices The Manifesto of the Socialist League William Morris, Bruce Glasier and Marxism Postscript: 1976 Index CX8119 1 false true false CX8119.htm [0xc0002a6810 0xc0002288d0 0xc000cd6b10 0xc0012b1350 0xc0013e1290 0xc001d3bc80 0xc001ebcb10 0xc001f654d0 0xc001fa9200 0xc002008ed0 0xc00213b560 0xc00214e180 0xc0009fcf60 0xc00219ec00 0xc0021f0d50 0xc0021f1b90 0xc001244bd0 0xc0026aa390 0xc0026d2240]}
Year Published: 1977
Pages: 825pp Resource Type: Book
Cx Number: CX8119

A biography of the nineteenth-century socialist, designer, artist, and intellectual William Morris.

Abstract:
Born into a privileged family, William Morris grew to become a poet, writer and painter. As this biography shows, the British Socialist led a strenuous, imaginative and intellectual life.

Morris was a designer and artist who hated capitalism. He disapproved of the 'squalour and anarchy' that existed throughout London and wished to rid the city of its 'degraded architecture' by becoming a painter and designer. He felt England faced the 'immovable façade of Victorian society' in its architectural development. Ruskin's writings were perhaps of greatest importance in leading Morris toward his choice of art as the central battleground.

The Mannerists, who were heavily influenced by Raphael and the Renaissance, led the 19th century art world. Morris was a part of a movement against the Mannerists: the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, which Morris regarded as 'an audacious attempt and revolt against the Academical Art,' which was taught in the schools of Europe.

For Morris, the most important result of the new scholarship that came out of the ashes of the Middle Ages was in the reconstruction of an idea of a real community of human beings whose seeds lay in pre-capitalist notions of community.

Morris and his allies shared a hatred of Victorianism, had a persistent underlying element of respect for the personality of women, and a yearning for a fully equal relationship of love and companionship between the sexes.

This biography also deals extensively with Morris' involvement in the socialist movement and the revolutionary and artistic struggles of his time.

[Abstract by Vei Chong]

Table of Contents

Foreword
List of Abbreviations
Part I: William Morris and the Romantic Revolt
1. Sir Launcelot and Mr Gradgrind
2. Oxford - Carlyle and Ruskin
3. Rosetti and the Pre-Raphaelites
4. The First Joust with Victorianism

Part II: The Years of Conflict
5. William Morris and the Decorative Arts
6. The Poetry of Despair
7. "Love is Enough"
8. Hope and Courage
9. Action
10. The 'Anti-Scrape'
11. The River of Fire

Part III: Practical Socialism
12. The First 200
13. The First Propaganda
14. The Split
15. The Socialist League 1885-6: "Making Socialists"
16. The Socialists made contact with the masses, 1887-8
17. The Last Years of the Socialist League
18. Towards a United Socialist Party, 1890-96

Part IV: Necessity and Desire
19. Necessity and Desire

Appendices
The Manifesto of the Socialist League
William Morris, Bruce Glasier and Marxism

Postscript: 1976

Index

William MorrisFrom Romantic to Revolutionary

Subject Headings

William Morris
From Romantic to Revolutionary