GallowsBird
11th April 2011, 19:56
I have noticed on this board that there seems to be a lot of references to my favourite poet (along with Coleridge) William Morris; for example both my brother Chuncho and the member Red Dave have mentioned the great man a few times and there is a member here (sorry that I have forgotten which) who has the portrait of Morris by George Frederic Watts as their user page picture.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y235/MrOglivy/George_Frederic_Watts_portrait_of_William_Morris_1 870_v2.jpg
Though I do not wish to dwell too much on William Morris's politics (which are hard to characterise but are probably most akin to Libertarian Socialism with many features in common with Marxism) other than in regards to his writings as opposed to his political life (he was in the Socialist League and became the editor of Commonweal until he was replaced and left the organisation after the shift from having a majority of Socialists to a majority of Anarchists) as you can make a whole thread or two on his political influence outside of his publications. He has become somewhat forgotten as a poet, author and artists but his influence is immense. Later fantasy authors such as Dunsany and Tolkien have been influenced by his works such as Well at the World's End and The House of the Wolfings.
Morris should be more known to the world for being the first Pre-Raphaelite to successfully publish poetry in that tradition and it must be said that the book The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems is a fantastic collection of Romantic Poetry and one that influences Romantic Poets, like myself, to this day. He is also one of the earlier writers to translate or modernise works of Norse and more importantly Old English poetry with The Tale of Beowulf Done out of the Old English Tongue (he was of course very interested in the cultural origins of the English which is something I respect about him greatly as he was one of the few to move past the Greco-Roman myths andthe Frankish and Brythonic inspired Arthurian tradition and find an English tradition to be proud of as well as taking influence from the more usual and popular traditions of Western Europe).
So how many others are fans of, have read, or are interested in the works of the great William Morris?
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y235/MrOglivy/George_Frederic_Watts_portrait_of_William_Morris_1 870_v2.jpg
Though I do not wish to dwell too much on William Morris's politics (which are hard to characterise but are probably most akin to Libertarian Socialism with many features in common with Marxism) other than in regards to his writings as opposed to his political life (he was in the Socialist League and became the editor of Commonweal until he was replaced and left the organisation after the shift from having a majority of Socialists to a majority of Anarchists) as you can make a whole thread or two on his political influence outside of his publications. He has become somewhat forgotten as a poet, author and artists but his influence is immense. Later fantasy authors such as Dunsany and Tolkien have been influenced by his works such as Well at the World's End and The House of the Wolfings.
Morris should be more known to the world for being the first Pre-Raphaelite to successfully publish poetry in that tradition and it must be said that the book The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems is a fantastic collection of Romantic Poetry and one that influences Romantic Poets, like myself, to this day. He is also one of the earlier writers to translate or modernise works of Norse and more importantly Old English poetry with The Tale of Beowulf Done out of the Old English Tongue (he was of course very interested in the cultural origins of the English which is something I respect about him greatly as he was one of the few to move past the Greco-Roman myths andthe Frankish and Brythonic inspired Arthurian tradition and find an English tradition to be proud of as well as taking influence from the more usual and popular traditions of Western Europe).
So how many others are fans of, have read, or are interested in the works of the great William Morris?