Chants for Socialists

William MorrisProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 18K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Chants for Socialists by William MorrisAuthor: Morris, William, 1834-1896,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Apr 1, 2002

Editor's review

Chants for Socialists is a short collection in which William Morris expresses his social ideals in verse, with resounding language and vivid imagery and a clear ballad and ode quality. Morris was a poet as well as a designer and socialist activist; these poems turn concern for the condition of workers and longing for a just society into pieces that can be recited and sung, offering an introduction to nineteenth-century British socialist literature and working-class movement culture. The lines are strongly rhythmic and read aloud well, making it easy to feel their mobilizing force and communal imagination in the act of reading. As a public-domain ebook, it is brief and suited to a single sitting or to close reading of selected pieces. Readers should note that the work carries a pronounced political context and idealism of its time and is best understood against the background of late Victorian society rather than read as purely aesthetic poetry.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the British socialist movement and working-class literature
Those who enjoy ballad and ode forms and are willing to read aloud
Students of William Morris's multiple identities
General readers curious about nineteenth-century expressions of social ideals

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for Morris's writings on decorative art or design
Poetry readers who prefer intimate lyricism and delicate psychological description
Those averse to works with a strong political-propaganda flavor

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the overall mood, then choose the most rhythmic pieces for repeated reading aloud.
While reading, note the recurring images of labor, solidarity, and a future society, and make brief excerpts.
Consult basic background on the late Victorian British workers' movement to understand the poems' real-world orientation.
Read alongside Morris's other literary works to appreciate the consistent expression of his social ideals.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Are these poems meant to be sung?

"Chants" in the title means singing or songs of praise; the poems themselves have strong rhythm and refrain-like structure and suit recitation or singing to a tune. The materials do not specify any musical score, so readers may treat them as chants to be recited, focusing on their sound effects and collective feeling.

Can I understand them without knowing about the British socialist movement?

You can grasp the general meaning. The poems express emotion and ideals fairly directly and do not depend on complex allusions; but knowing the basic situation of late nineteenth-century British labor conditions and socialist currents will make it easier to understand their real-world targets and rallying tone.

Is this book long, and how long does it take to finish?

According to the given materials, this is a short poetry collection of modest length, and a single read-through usually takes only a short time. It is better to slow down, read aloud and closely in several sessions, and leave room to appreciate rhythm and imagery rather than rushing to finish.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

William Morris Author · British · 1834–1896

William Morris (1834–1896) was an English poet, novelist, translator and designer of the decorative arts, and a leading figure of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Born in Walthamstow, London, he founded Morris & Co. and the Kelmscott Press, moving between poetry, fiction, book design and design practice. His writing draws on classical and medieval traditions, combining the sweep of narrative poetry with the strangeness of fantasy fiction. The Earthly Paradise links poems through a frame story, News from Nowhere envisions a future society through a dream, and works such as The Water of the Wondrous Isles unfold romantic legend. His literary style, polished and richly imagistic, echoes his design ideas and has influenced later English literature and decorative art.