William Morris, 1857, William Morris Gallery
My dear Mother,
I am almost afraid you thought me scarcely in earnest
when I told
you a month or two ago
that I did not intend taking Holy Orders.
. . . You said then, you remember, and said very truly, that
it was an
evil thing to be an idle, objectless man; I am fully determined not
to incur this reproach; I was so then . . .I wish now to be an archi
tect, an
occupation that I have often had hankerings after. . . If I
were not to
follow this occupation, I in truth know not what I should
follow
with any chance of success or hope of happiness in my work.
. . . I shall be master too of a useful trade; one by
which I should
hope to earn money, not altogether precariously, if other things
fail.
. . . I will by no means give up things that I have
thought of for
the
bettering of the world, in so far as in me lies.
You see I do not hope to be great at all in anything,
but perhaps I
may reasonably hope to be happy in my work; and sometimes when I
am idle and doing nothing, pleasant visions go past me
of the things
that
may be. . .
My best love to yourself, and Henrietta, and Aunt, and
all of them:
Your affectionate son,
Exeter College, Oxford, William
November 11, 1855
His letter can be found in 'A Victorian Rebel' by Lloyd Wendell Eshleman. I read it and wanted to share it with you. I love how you can read the words and thoughts of a 21 year old university student describing his hopes and fears to his mother. I wonder if Mr. Morris had any idea that he would inevitably become an immortal genius?
2 comments:
Hello Kimberly,
You are right, a fascinating insight into the mind of a young Victorian mad hounded by his mother's aspirations.
I too like to think of myself as a 'rebel'. I try to be different and not swim with the shoal, so to speak.
Thank you for sharing.
Hi Kevin,
Very well said and I agree with you! I am not a rebel at all but good to know you are. I appreciate you stopping by and commenting.
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