News from Nowhere
by William Morris
One of the most literal and readable of utopian novels, "News from Nothing" tells the impressions of a nineteenth-century visitor of the twenty-second century who thought England had become a socialist paradise. Morris's pastoral society reflects themes in the works of Raskin and Marx, but constitutes a clear expression of the author's own egalitarian views. Distilling Morris' mature reflections on politics, art, and society, this work was seen as an exercise in emotionality after its publication. Modern readers, however, are likely to find repercussions in their criticism of state socialism and in their proposals for an alternative society.
