Thomas More and William Morris: two times but similar idea

Thomas More(1478-1535) William Morris(1834-1896) are lived in different times and epochs, but their ideas are very similar and we can understand it through connection with times, but a short note can aid us to understand the influence of More on Morris; in fact More has printed the Utopia of More in year 1893, it is alone a scant notice that hasn’t relevance, but it is instead great importance, because he evidently has had read Utopian of More and when he published the New from nowhere, one of major romance he kept in memory the narrative of More, because the Utopia, is a town that not exists, and that More imagined and descripted with more particulars, that are very near to Morris, the civil living together in the city of Utopia, the absence of grudge and absence of envy, lack of steal and robber because everything is common, production is alone to necessary, the govern that is elected directly from people; today it is normal, but during More’s time, this is during the reign of Henry 8^th (1491-1547) the monarchy was absolutely, and this think that was republican in that time was a very risk, it is sufficient think that More was decapitated in year 1535, because he was refused to recognize the supremacy of Henry 8^th on the British Church, he was condemned to capital pain for treason. He has descripted a word, or a city, this is Utopia, that is an inn to republican govern and model; I personally don’t think that he believed to a republican govern, because he was Chancellor of crow, hence he was very distant from this model. The influence on Morris is evident in description of Hammond, a older man that describes the country where he is living, that is England because he, in a step of romance, suggests to foreign, that is man of 19^th century, to go beyond the Channel, that divides French from England, hence he is in England; and Hammond describes a society that is perfect, where everybody makes the job that want, and the gain is alone in the work, this is the pleasure of to work, but the monetary gain isn’t, the decisions are took from majority, and when the citizens are discord every decision is send again, because important is don’t determine or create enmity; after a exasperation of socialism think of Morris is in other step, when the stranger asks to Hammond what rapports there are to stranger countries and Hammond answers: “…the whole system of rival countries  and in fight one other, that has had major part in the civil word, is disappeared with inequality between man and man in the society…” but a hide polemic to British conformism, although hide but there is, because Hammond answers to ask of foreign that asked if the lack of inequality become the word very boring, he says: “You go beyond the Channel and you are going to see the differences, in the land, in built, in the eat, in the way to amuse…”,; the question is where is the hide polemic? Simple in the character that Morris describes but beyond the Channel, in French, and it contradiction, because the town descripted from Hammond if is perfect and isn’t inequality, that is attests that differences are, why don’t describes the British difference? Why beyond the Channel in French? He could suggest to stranger of go out of house of Hammond and see the difference in country of Hammond; evidently Morris known perfectly the British society, and the equality was a motive essential to some social class, and it is the polemic, that was hide, but for attentive reader it emerges. Anyway the influence was very important and Morris’s The news from nowhere is the new Utopia, that also in the title is corresponding, because utopia from ancient Greek οὐτόπος means nowhere, therefore from the title this romance is the homage to More.

Alessandro Lusana