News from Nowhere and Other Writings (Penguin Classics)

Yes, I mean that with a capital S. The title story, "News from Nowhere", is a Socialist Utopia like Bellamy's "Looking Backward." In fact, Morris wrote an intro to Bellamy's brief book, and criticized it (gently) for not going far enough.Morris' view of that happy future occupies about half of this thick compilation. It is an incredible Eden, where hale, hearty, and lovely people swing into everything with the greatest gusto. Morris' character, the Guest, arrives just when everyone is falling over themselves to row upstream for the privelege of baling hay. Through some Socialist magic, everyone has become beautiful, intelligent, and youthful. In fact Ellen, who takes a shine to the Guest, has such "beauty and cleverness and brightness" (her own words, p.223) that she lives out of town to avoid causing a ruckus among the young bucks there.Outside of everyone's passion for good, hard labor (with the fear of some future shortage of sweaty work to go around), 'Nowhere' is most notable for the changes it has wrought on the English countryside. Since government no longer serves a Socialist need, the old trappings of power have been torn down. The one exception is the old Parliament building, which now serves as the transfer station between the producers of manure and its consumers - with a clear implication that little has changed.Exchange of manure is about the most sophisticated social interaction, since Morris declares that "this is not an age of inventions. The last epoch did all that for us," (p.192) and they let more of the old knowledge slip away every year. Instead, his healthy and pastoral people work for love of work, and infuse some vague sense of art into whatever it was they were going on about. Issues of medical care are waved away under their general shiny health, despite the fact that pastoral, non-technological people filled their graveyards with women dying in childbirth.The other half of this book is divided between a number of essays and lectures, most of which extol the Socialist ethos. About 120 pages of "Lectures" discuss design, and some few - with gritted teeth - acknowledge that science may deserve to exist. Yes, he tolerates those people in whom the desire to know burns most brightly. Mostly, however, "science" is something good for cleaning flue gas so the rural colors may shine more brightly.Morris was a visionary. He was also a brilliant and driven man, a skilled artisan, and eloquent writer. Unfortunately, he was born into a good-sized estate, so never had to pay all that much attention to the fussy bits of how people put the bread on their tables. The disconnect between his plenty and the majority's need is painfully apparent, but not to himself.The best-reasoned essay of the lot was the last, on the founding philosophy of his Kelmscott Press. He explained, in concrete terms, how he decided on the principles of artisanship of printing, and goes into some detail about how well-made text should appear. Much of what he said made sense, and much of the rest could be confirmed or denied by printing up a few pages and seeing what worked - the essence of his reviled "science."Morris had a fine and wide-ranging mind. This book shows many of its aspects, but also shows many of its failings. I was happier thinking of him only as the founder of the Arts and Crafts movement.//wiredweird

I'm afraid that with the best will in the world I can't help finding William Morris a bit of a dope.NEWS FROM NOWHERE is a "utopian" novel, but that Morris could conceive it reflects on his intelligence, because the colossal ignorance of human nature it exhibits is both risible and repugnant.To keep this unmemorable fantasy in print likely means that you can't underestimate the bad taste of mindless idealists of any age and their willingness to buy books that second their silly views.William Morris wallpaper designs are worth looking for, but avoid this foolish book.

It is easy to find great dystopian novels, but I wanted to read an utopian novel. I was a bit disappointed. It fell a little flat and it probably had to do with it being written in 1890. William Morris was disgusted by the industrial revolution and the poor social and environmental ills that manifested from it, so he attempted to write about a world that reverted back to an agrarian life. I just thought it was a bit of a cop out. I would rather read about a utopian novel where the people achieved some sort of enlightenment and learned moderation or something than to completely do away with technology all together. I don't see modernization as evil it is the people and how they choose to use it that creates the problem. I think my favorite utopian novel remains a book I read as a child, The 21 Balloons by William Pène du Bois.

If you've made your way here, it's pretty safe to say this is exactly what you're looking for. Nice collection.Morris' political essays stand with Orwell's and Bertrand Russell's in both clarity, personality, and, if I may, loveliness. There's much more than wallpaper here.

This is the required book for the class, buy here can save more money, and get it so fast .

had to get for a classgood read!

Great. used for school.

great

Great read, William Morris was definitely onto something. Get the book & read it. Wether you agree or disagree. You will be more the richer for doing so.

The book condition is quite poor considering it is advertised as a new book. The content is lovely however. Just be cautious if you’re buying the book as a gift as it definitely looks second hand.

This book arrived looking like a second hand item. It had clearly been thumbed through several times and as it is a gift I will have to buy another copy to give.

This was 100 years ahead of it's time. Extraordinary.

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