UTOPIAN DREAMS: RUSKIN’S TORY PATERNALISM

July 6, 2019 14.15 at The Coach House, Kelmscott House

THERE IS NO WEALTH BUT LIFE: a series of lectures on John Ruskin and William Morris

John Blewitt

John Ruskin was a major influence on William Morris but many of Ruskin’s political views were decidedly conservative. Morris was a libertarian eco-socialist who imagined a utopian future with no masters and no hierarchies; Ruskin looked at the laissez faire capitalism of his day and yearned to recreate social relationships characterised by a reciprocal bond between wise masters who would look after their godly and honest workers. This lecture will explore their contrasting socio-political visions.

John Blewitt is a Distinguished Fellow of the Schhumacher Institute and a member of the William Morris Society.

This is the third event of There is No Wealth but Life: a series of three lectures examining connections and divergences between these two great Victorian thinkers and writers. Book for all three lectures through the link below at a discounted rate of £30 (non-members), £25 (WMS members) or £12 (students).