Beyond Nostalgia

William Morris, romanticism, and anticapitalist ecocriticism

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12957/arcosdesign.2026.96554

Keywords:

Design, ecology, romanticism

Abstract

This article aims to demonstrate how a review of the historical experience of romanticism as a worldview can offer a powerful tool for the present for building a new relationship with nature that is different from that of capitalist assimilation of natural themes. We assume that such a fundamental figure for this understanding in the field of Design has been the artist, poet and thinker William Morris, who has a biased reductionist critical reception in part of the field’s literature. We argue that this has a double role: at the same time, it promotes a dissociation between his work and his thought, it hides the importance of both in the pursuit of overcoming the environmental destruction inherent in the capitalist mode of production.

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References

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Published

2026-07-13

How to Cite

VIEIRA DA SILVA MAGALHÃES, Paulo; SILVEIRA JUNIOR, Antonio. Beyond Nostalgia: William Morris, romanticism, and anticapitalist ecocriticism. Arcos Design, Rio de Janeiro, v. 19, n. 2, p. e96554, 2026. DOI: 10.12957/arcosdesign.2026.96554. Disponível em: https://www.e-publicacoes.uerj.br/arcosdesign/article/view/96554. Acesso em: 18 jul. 2026.