Description
First published in 1890, this highly readable book is perhaps William Morris’ best-known prose work. The book presents a compelling portrait of an ideal society when a nineteenth century man (Morris) falls asleep in his own century and awakens in the twenty-second century to find England transformed into a socialist paradise. Or is it? Morris’ utopian society rejects “state socialism” in favor of a system by which people live in harmony with the natural world. Capitalism has been eradicated by a workers’ revolution, property is communal, and money is unnecessary. The citizens take pleasure in their work, which they regard as a form of creative expression. Crime is virtually non-existent in their perfect world, and women enjoy complete equality. Whatever you may think of Morris’ prognostications, this book will reward you with insights that are relevant to some of the current political debates in the United States.
