News from Nowhere

Synopsis: 'The only English utopia since More's that deserves to be remembered as literature.' News from Nowhere (1890) is the best-known prose work of William Morris. The novel describes the encounter between a visitor from the nineteenth century, William Guest, and a decentralized and humane socialist future. Set over a century after a revolutionary upheaval in 1952, these 'Chapters from a Utopian Romance' recount his journey across London and up the Thames to Kelmscott Manor, Morris's own country house in Oxfordshire. Drawing on the work of John Ruskin and Karl Marx, Morris's book is not only an evocative statement of his egalitarian convictions but also a distinctive contribution to the utopian tradition. Morris's rejection of state socialism and his ambition to transform the relationship between humankind and the natural world, give News from Nowhere a particular resonance for modern readers. The text is based on that of 1891, incorporating the extensive revisions made by Morris to the first edition.

Review: Until I saw this on the 1001 list, I didn't know that William Morris had written any fiction. This is William's idea of Utopia, and it's a million miles away from the futuristic science fiction novels/films that we're used to. It seems he was inspired to write the book after reading Edward Bellamy's 'Looking Backward' .. it has a similar premise to 'News from Nowhere' in that the central character awakes to find himself a few hundred years in the future in a world where poverty and corruption have been eradicated. William didn't much like Bellamy's version of Utopia though and thought it vulgar and materialistic but still the book obviously sowed the seeds of an idea in his mind. William's central character William Guest falls asleep after returning from a meeting of the Socialist League, when he awakes the next day, he finds himself in a very different world indeed.

He meets Dick who undertakes to row him on the Thames, from Hammersmith through London and onwards to Kelmscott (Morris's true home) stopping frequently along the way. He learns from Dick that things have much changed .. though Dick doesn't know he is a traveller in time .. he passes himself off as a foreigner or jokingly as a being from another planet to account for his ignorance and wonder. Cities have been transformed, the urban sprawl has been eradicated and there is more 'elbow room', the buildings are handsome and there is a heavy emphasis towards arts and crafts in all their forms but always beautifully and simply done (especially clothing ... women are no longer upholstered like furniture.) Work is undertaken for pleasure rather than payment, in fact there is no monetary system at all and food and goods are shared willingly. Everyone is content and happy, there is no discord, no prisons, no courts, no crime and everyone, especially the women are extremely good looking and long lived (he would be shocked if he walked down Swindon high street on a Friday night to see how far away from his idyll we are.) There is no schooling in the literal sense, children are encouraged to learn for themselves by being in and of the world instead of stewing inside and those more inclined to further their knowledge do so.

I'm not sure how I felt about William's ideal world, on the whole I didn't think it could ever possibly work and I'm not sure I'd want it to. He still saw the woman's role as the child bearer and nurturer but though in this new world women were free from oppression by men (and vice versa) and their opportunities were varied and unconstrained, domestic labour was still seen as the job they were most fitted to (because it was the job they most enjoyed.) But of course this is the author's vision and it's not a picture of what he thought would happen or thought should happen, it's just a version of his ideal world.

When William reaches London he meets Dicks kinsman, Old Hammond, and learns from him how this new change came about. It's a tale full of civil unrest, revolt and bloodshed which takes up several chapters. Though interesting to begin with, this part of the book dragged for me and I was glad when William returned to the Thames and his journey (which just illustrates how empty headed I am.)

It's an interesting book, he writes lovely prose, using delicious words such as slumbrous, thitherwood, behoof and wherry. I've always lived near to the Thames so his journey was familiar to me, I used to live at Lechlade which is fairly near to Kelmscott and visited his gorgeous manor house and garden. There is a craft barn in the garden and I couldn't help but think he'd be dismayed if he saw it. Anything that could be covered in a William Morris pattern had been ... you know the sort of thing toaster covers and draft excluders and peg bags ... I suppose they do come under the heading of useful .. I'm not sure all of them are beautiful .. but he hated clutter and fuss. In contrast his house was just lovely, so simple (if a house that grand can be simple) but absolutely gorgeous with the most beautiful tapestries and embroideries that I've ever seen.

Actually I did a tapestry of one of William's designs some years ago which is one of the few things that I've managed to put up in our new home. I do love his designs and the whole arts and crafts movement in general.