A Remarkable Woman: Pragmatic Feminism in May Morris's Plays.

THIS LECTURE WILL BE DELIVERED VIA ZOOM.

THIS LECTURE IS PRESENTED IN PARNTERSHIP WITH THE WILLIAM MORRIS SOCIETY AS PART OF MORRIS MONTH.

May Morris (1862-1938) is emerging from the shadow of William Morris, with recent research on her life, her professional design and embroidery work, and her feminist and socialist activities. This paper will address Morris's creative works, which deserve a wider audience: two drawing-room plays (Lady Griselda's Dream, 1895 and White Lies, 1901), probably influenced by George Bernard Shaw, which parody female stereotypes and indicates her anxieties about the role of women, while drawing on the aesthetic influences of Pre-Raphaelitism.

Serena Trowbridge is Professor of Pre-Raphaelite Studies at Birmingham City University and chair of the Pre-Raphaelite Society, Senior Vice-President of the Birmingham and Midlands Institute, and a Trustee of the William Morris Society. She has published widely on Pre-Raphaelite literature and art, especially by Pre-Raphaelite women. This lecture…