The Works of William Morris

 

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The Earthly Paradise  Translations from the Sagas  Utopian  Fantasy 

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This page indexes resources at this site relating to the English artist and writer William Morris.

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The Earthly Paradise

 The Earthly Paradise, (March-August)
by William Morris [1868]
William Morris’ epic-length poetry cycle set in the worlds of Classical mythology and the fairytale.

 The Earthly Paradise, (September-November)
by William Morris [1870]
This part of Morris’ epic includes a lengthly retelling of an incident from the Icelandic Laxdaela Saga, the Lovers of Gudrun, which some consider among Morris’ best poetry.

 The Earthly Paradise, (December-February)
by William Morris [1870]
The conclusion of Morris’ epic work, including the tale of Hercules and the Golden Apples; Aslaug, the daughter of Sigurd and Brynhild; Bellerophon; and two tales of the Goddess Venus.

Translations from the Sagas

 The Story of Grettir the Strong
translated by Eirikr Magnusson and William Morris [1869].

 The Story of the Volsungs
by William Morris and Eirikr Magnusson [1888]
includes extracts from the Poetic Edda.

Utopian

 News from Nowhere
by William Morris [1891]
William Morris’ vision of a socialist England.

Fantasy novels

William Morris was one of the inventors of the modern fantasy novel, quests set in self-contained worlds with Celtic, Icelandic and fairy-tale elements. Morris’ mastery of English prose make each and every one of these books a joy to read.

 The Hollow Land
by William Morris [1856]
One of William Morris’ first fantasy tales, featuring a quest for a realm only half-glimpsed by mortals.

 The Roots of the Mountains
by William Morris [1889]
A fantasy novel set in the world of the Icelandic sagas.

 The House of the Wolfings
by William Morris [1889]
Morris’ fantasy novel set among the ancient Germanic tribes was cited as in influence Tolkien.

 The Story of the Glittering Plain
by William Morris [1891]
A quest for a stolen fiance leads us into the utopian Land of the Glittering Plain.

 The Wood Beyond the World
by William Morris [1894]
The Wood Beyond the World is one of Morris’ masterpieces which he originally published using hand-set type.

 Child Christopher and Goldilind the Fair
by William Morris [1895]
Morris’ retelling of the medieval Lay of Havelock the Dane, cited as an influence on C.S. Lewis’ Prince Caspian.

 The Well at the World’s End
by William Morris [1896]
A classic journey ‘there and back again’ to find a well which confers near-imortality.

 The Water of the Wondrous Isles
by William Morris [1897]
One of the first fantasy novels with a well-developed female heroine.

 The Sundering Flood
by William Morris [1897]
Morris’ last fantasy novel, finished on his death-bed.