The Defence of Guenevere, and Other Poems

Dedicated "To My Friend Dante Gabriel Rossetti Painter", the subjects of these poems are chivalry, King Arthur and his court, medieval legends, wonder-stories, and tales of adventure, love, and sexual desire. These themes were typical for the Pre-Raphaelite poets and painters.

First published in 1858, this book of poetry was considered artistically mediocre in comparison to Morris' later achievements in printing, painting, and design. There were no serious reviews of this book except by poet, playwright, novelist, and critic Algernon Charles Swinburne who reviewed it as "here and there it met eager recognition and earnest applause".

Please visit the display case in Lucy’s Cafe for additional titles by and about William Morris.

A version of this text has been digitized and made partially available through Hathitrust.

Lehigh University Catalog Record: https://asa.lib.lehigh.edu/Record/10680670