Cultural Commentary. *William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and libertarian socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite

*William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and libertarian socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and English Arts and Crafts Movement. He founded a design firm in partnership with the artist Edward Burne-Jones, and the poet and artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti which profoundly influenced the decoration of churches and houses into the early 20th century. As an author, illustrator and medievalist, he helped to establish the modern fantasy genre, and was a direct influence on postwar authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien. He was also a major contributor to reviving traditional textile arts and methods of production, and one of the founders of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, now a statutory element in the preservation of historic buildings in the UK.

Morris wrote and published poetry, fiction, and translations of ancient and medieval texts throughout his life. His best-known works include The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems (1858), The Earthly Paradise (1868–1870), A Dream of John Ball (1888), the utopian News from Nowhere (1890), and the fantasy romance The Well at the World's End (1896). He was an important figure in the emergence of socialism in Britain, founding the Socialist League in 1884, but breaking with that organization over goals and methods by the end of the decade. He devoted much of the rest of his life to the Kelmscott Press, which he founded in 1891. Kelmscott was devoted to the publishing of limited-edition, illuminated-style print books. The 1896 Kelmscott edition of the Works of Geoffrey Chaucer is considered a masterpiece of book design. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_morris)

*Red House in Bexleyheath in southeast London, England, is a major building of the history of the Arts and Crafts style and of 19th-century British architecture. It was designed in 1859 by its owner, William Morris, and the architect Philip Webb, with wall paintings and stained glass by Edward Burne-Jones. Morris wanted a home for himself and his new wife, Jane. He also desired to have a "Palace of Art" in which he and his friends could enjoy producing works of art. The house is of red brick with a steep tiled roof and an emphasis on natural materials. Red House is in a non-historical, brick-and-tile domestic style. It is now a Grade I listed building.

The garden is also significant, being an early example of the idea of a garden as a series of exterior "rooms". Morris wanted the garden to be like an integral part of the house. The "rooms" consisted of a herb garden, a vegetable garden, and two rooms full of old-fashioned flowers—jasmine, lavender, quinces, and an abundance of fruit trees—apple, pear and cherry.

Morris lived with Jane in the house for only five years, during which time their two daughters, Jenny and May, were born. Forced to sell the house for financial reasons in 1865, Morris vowed never to return to it, saying that to see the house again would be more than he could bear.

The house was lived in as a family home for nearly 150 years. The architect Sir Edward Maufe, famous for designing Guildford Cathedral, lived in the house with his parents, Henry Maufe and his wife Maude, from 1903. Henry Maufe died in the house in 1910 and Maude remained there until her death in 1919. In 1952, Ted and Doris Hollamby moved into Red House; they, along with the members of two other families, the Toms and the McDonalds, restored the house and reinstated many of the original arts and crafts features. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_House_%28London%29)

*Do it yourself (DIY) is building, modifying, or repairing something without the aid of experts or professionals. The popular culture phrase "do it yourself" had come into common usage (in standard English) by the 1950s, in reference to the emergence of a trend of people undertaking home improvement and various other small craft and construction projects as both a creative-recreational and cost-saving activity.

Subsequently, the term DIY has taken on a broader meaning that covers a wide range of skill sets. DIY is associated with the international alternative rock, punk rock, and indie rock music scenes; indymedia networks, pirate radio stations, and the zine community. In this context, DIY is related to the Arts and Crafts movement, in that it offers an alternative to modern consumer culture's emphasis on relying on others to satisfy needs. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DIY)

9) The BBC*

Task 21. What do you know about the following places or things:

General strike, licence fee?

Task 22. Who are the following people:

John Reith*, Alec Baldwin, Nazis?

Task 23. Answer the following questions:

1. What was the origin of the BBC?

2. What principles did John Reith lay as the foundation of the BBC?

3. What was the role of the BBC in the UK during World War II?

4. Why does the BBC remain so popular in the UK and worldwide nowadays?