Multiplicities In Paradise

The title of this post is taken from the American classic novel "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I n music, it's said that the romantic period (and it's overblown excesses) ended with Wagner. That may be so. It brings to mind the quote oft attributed to Mark Twain (yes it sounds like his work, but it was actually Bill Nye [not our Science Guy, but the journalist-humorist ]   " Richard Wagner's music is better than it sounds”. It's a densely packed statement. But what exactly is romanticism? And why do we need it now? I posit that romanticism is hardly a "sweetness", as many may conjure up. There is nothing particularly sugary about being dark and tormented, the furor of passion, nor the despair of an idealism that can not be attained. Yet that is what the core of romanticism is composed of. Nor is it merely adjective abuse. It's more than an aesthetic in decor. So what is it then? Ideals. Perhaps Ideals have m...

Written in 1890 by William Morris "News from Nowhere" is a compelling formulation of his views on art, work, community, family, and the nature and structure of the ideal society. One might say it's a Utopian narrative or something like science fiction, but without question, it is an immensely entertaining novel. And one that has cause for resonance today. You can read the work yourself here at no cost. William Morris (1834-1896) is probably best-known today as a Victorian designer whose work has never gone out of fashion. You can buy Morris merchandise – from coasters to picture frames to ties to mugs – in the gift shops of every big design museum.  Do an internet search of  his name, and your screen will fill up with cascades of dense, colorful ornaments. But Morris was also a radical thinker,  and his novel "News from Nowhere" (1890),  has striking applications in the internet era. In "News from Nowhere", Morris imagined a world in which hu...