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Chapter 17 - Female Fellowship

Morris, Feminism, and the New Woman

from Part IV - Movements and Causes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 May 2024

Marcus Waithe
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

This chapter explores William Morris’s developing views about the ‘woman question’ across his life, focusing in particular on his comments within press interviews, his literary works, and his interpersonal relationships, be this with employees, friends, or family. It considers the past scholarship on this topic, which has tended to focus on debating whether Morris can be considered a ‘feminist’ or not. It emphasises that although Morris agreed in the need for adult suffrage for all and at times actively promoted progressive causes such as equal pay and the need for sexual freedom (even within marriage), he did still believe women had different roles to play to men in society, although these views could be inchoate and ill defined. The chapter showcases how Morris’s views were shaped by the male-orientated networks he inhabited in his political and professional life and by contemporary anxieties about the supposed effeminacy of artistic men. Moreover, it examines his views in relation to others within the networks of fellowship which made up the socialist and women’s movements, to situate and compare his views, and to best explore how Morris’s writings and ideas contributed to public discourse about women and gender at the brink of the twentieth century.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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  • Female Fellowship
  • Edited by Marcus Waithe, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to William Morris
  • Online publication: 03 May 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108939942.023
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  • Female Fellowship
  • Edited by Marcus Waithe, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to William Morris
  • Online publication: 03 May 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108939942.023
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Female Fellowship
  • Edited by Marcus Waithe, University of Cambridge
  • Book: The Cambridge Companion to William Morris
  • Online publication: 03 May 2024
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108939942.023
Available formats
×