2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
A Study on William Morris' Romances in Verse and Their Significance in Literary History
| Project/Area Number |
15520202
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
ヨーロッパ語系文学
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| Research Institution | Japan Women's University |
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Principal Investigator |
KAWABATA Yasuo Japan Women's University, Faculty of Humanities, Professor, 文学部, 教授 (80214683)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2003 – 2004
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| Keywords | William Morris / Utopia / romance / ecology / The Arts and Crafts Movement / Romanticism / John Ruskin / Kenji Otsuki |
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| Research Abstract |
(1)Morris' Romances in verse and the tradition of classical literature
Reading the stories of The Earthly Paradise which have Greek and Latin legends as their sources, I have investigated the way Morris incorporated his materials into his own works. In particular, I have read "Cupid and Psyche" closely, comparing it with Ovid's Metamorphoses, Le Roman de la Rose by De Lorris and De Meung, to see how Morris' idea of art is reflected in his romance.
(2)The relevance of Morris' romances in verse and his works in decorative art
I have investigated the significant degree in which Morris' writing of literary works has closely connected with his decorative works performed both in Morris & Co.and the Kelmscott Press. In addition, we have studied the works by Edward Burne-Jones, Morris' friend and cooperator, to see there is definite interrelationship between both works.
(3)The significance of Morris as a Romantic Ecologist
Morris has been positively revaluated recently in the fields of conservation, as he did a pioneering work of the Society for the Protection of Ancient buildings, which he founded in 1877. While The Earthly Paradise was undervalued by E.P.Thompson as having the contents of escapism, in the present condition of the "environmental crisis," the work can be seen in new aspects, considering it as an important product of "Romantic Ecology," as a forerunner of our ecocriticism. I have read a paper on the theme in the symposium of "Art and the Beauty of Life : William Morris and His Idea of Conservation"(October 31,2004).
I should add that during my research I found the importance of Kenji Otsuki's pioneering study of Morris in the 1920's and 1930's, of which I have published an essay revaluing his work.
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