English Literature: The Power of Poetry – Creating Communities with William Morris presented by Dr Lilah Grace Canevaro from The University of Edinburgh

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You probably know Paradise Lost and The Canterbury Tales, but do you know The Earthly Paradise? A 42,000-line epic poem following a Chaucerian storytelling pattern written in 1868-70, it owes a lot to Milton, to Tennyson, to Arthurian legend. But most of all it embodies the literary methods, artistic activity and political stance of its author, William Morris (1834-96). You probably know William Morris too, but most likely for his designs. As well as being ‘the wallpaper guy’, however, Morris was a prolific poet, novelist and translator, and an important socialist activist. In this session we will get to know the literary side of William Morris, set in the context of his art and politics and focusing on his method of bringing together texts across time.

In The Earthly Paradise, a literary Dream Team of Ionian Greeks and Norsemen tell each other stories every month for a year. The result is a sprawling conglomeration of tales from Greek and Roman myth and Old Norse sagas, with Old English and medieval French stories thrown in for good measure. Morris saw epic poetry as coming ‘from the hearts of the people’. He used this cross-cultural approach of amalgamating traditions to connect with those people, across time and place. More than that, he put himself into his poem, so that we as readers might connect with his ‘heart’: a heart that had social justice at its core. Morris’ poetry embodied his politics. So did his stance on art. ‘Art is man’s expression of his joy in labour’, he writes, as there cannot be art without good working conditions.

So poetry comes from the hearts of the people, and the state of the arts reflects the conditions of the people. There is a deep-rooted connection between Morris’ practical socialist politics and his creative output in all spheres. By forging a multicultural, multilingual community of poets in The Earthly Paradise, Morris shows that language has the power to speak across the ages and to urgent contemporary concerns. Morris is mobilising epic poetry for political action.

This interactive session will build on themes from the examining boards in A-Level English Literature, particularly texts in shared contexts, texts across time, and language as power.

In preparation for this session, Lilah Grace asks you to a read through this Morris Mania Article. What would Morris make of seeing his designs on Nike trainers and AI-generated products? Is this a betrayal of his principles – or a fulfilment of his dream that beauty should be available to all?

Lecturer Profile: Dr Lilah Grace Canevaro

Our events are designed so that a group of students can take part from a classroom or students and teachers can take part as individuals, either from school or from home. There is no charge to take part.

As a live, participative event, this session will not be recorded but slides and other resources will be shared after the event, where available.

Suitable for: Age 16+ pre-university English Literature students. We also welcome students who are studying, or interested in studying, Classics. Student groups as well as students and teachers joining individually are very welcome.

Preparation/Pre-Reading: In preparation for this session, Lilah Grace asks you to a read through this Morris Mania Article. What would Morris make of seeing his designs on Nike trainers and AI-generated products? Is this a betrayal of his principles – or a fulfilment of his dream that beauty should be available to all?

The IT Setup: The event will be run on Zoom and participants will be able to join using laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. If you are joining as a school group, we recommend connecting with one device and projecting on to a whiteboard. You will be able to interact with the speaker via typed comments and questions and/or via a microphone. Full details will be sent to those who have registered (see below) prior to the event.

Booking a Place: This is free for schools and colleges. If you would like to take part in this event, please register your interest using the link to the registration form below:

Register here