William Morris’s News from Nowhere: Degrading Victorian Art and Literature

Abstract

This research paper examines William Morris’s perspectives regarding true art and literature in his novella, News from Nowhere, through mirroring two different systems in the utopia that he has invented, socialism and capitalism. According to Morris’s understanding, we need a socialistic system to produce a true art because this system stands against class struggles, allows people to own pleasure in their works and endorses a popular art. On the other hand, capitalism, as the system of the Victorian age, does not permit the art and literature that Morris calls for coming into the existence because, in addition to being free from the mentioned characteristics, life becomes full of competitions resulting in labor divisions, people do not enjoy doing their works, and machines takes role of handiworks.

Keywords: socialism, capitalism, art, labor.