Abstract
When we think of the Victorian era, images of shrouded piano legs, dismal factories and smoggy streets often come to mind. However, the 19th century has been rediscovered in recent years as the home of something quite different: bold utopian visions of the future. William Morris’ great literary utopia News from Nowhere, first published in 1890, is an interesting case study in this context. Morris’ text is the point of departure for a number of recent returns to Victorian utopianism, including Sarah Woods’ updated radio adaptation of News from Nowhere (2016) and the BBC’s historical reality television series The Victorian House of Arts and Crafts (2019). In this article, I analyse these Morris-inspired texts with the aim of exploring the place of old visions of the future in the contemporary cultural imaginary. Building on previous work in neo-Victorian studies and utopian studies, the claim is made that the return to 19th-century dreams is a plural phenomenon that has a number of divergent effects. More specifically, neo-Victorian utopianism can function to demonstrate the obsolescence of old visions of utopia, prompt a longing for the clarity and radicality of the utopias of the Victorian moment, or encourage a process of rejuvenating the utopian impulse in the present via a detour through the past.
Highlights
When we think of the Victorian era, images of shrouded piano legs, dismal factories and smoggy streets often come to mind
Morris pioneered new working practices, rejecting the discipline associated with factory production and prioritising joy in labour, the making of beautiful objects and craftsmanship. He advocated for socialism in its complete form, calling for the abolition of waged labour, money and the state. These two moments come together in Morris’ News from Nowhere of 1890, one of the most famous literary utopias of the 19th century, in which the liberated labouring practices of the Arts and Crafts movement are elaborated in a communistic context of equality and freedom
Two texts are of particular note in this context: Sarah Woods’ updated radio adaptation of News from Nowhere (BBC, 2016) and the BBC’s historical reality television series The Victorian House of Arts and Crafts (BBC, 2019)
Summary
When we think of the Victorian era, images of shrouded piano legs, dismal factories and smoggy streets often come to mind. Two texts are of particular note in this context: Sarah Woods’ updated radio adaptation of News from Nowhere (BBC, 2016) and the BBC’s historical reality television series The Victorian House of Arts and Crafts (BBC, 2019).
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