A Dream of John Ball; and, A King's Lesson

William Morris (1834-1896) was a British artist and writer. Morris wrote poetry, fiction and translated Icelandic. Morris was part of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and was one of the founders of the British Arts and Crafts Movement. Morris believed that art should be hand made and affordable. He also felt that no one form of art was superior to any other. As an artist Morris worked with textiles in weaving, dyeing, carpet making, and wood block printing. His writing often reflected his socialist views. Morris had strong beliefs about the possibility of a Utopian society. Morris in these two stories talks about the sense of justice in a Utopian society. He hopes the reader will leave these stories with a genuine disgust for feudalism. When John Ball awakes he finds himself in an old fashioned cloak beside a quiet country road. He is amazed to see a knight on horseback pass him by. John realized he has somehow been transported back centuries in time.