In the following essay, Boos provides an “inclusive and eclectic view” of Morris's poetic development.

In the following essay, Boos investigates the socialist-feminist element in William Morris's writing.

In the following essay, Herbert contrasts the function of the frame structures of Alfred Tennyson's The Princess and Morris's The Earthly Paradise.

In the following essay, Barker compares The Earthly Paradise to Alfred Tennyson's “The Lotos-Eaters” and Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene to show that Morris's poem is more ironic than escapist in nature.

In the following essay, originally published in The Westminster Review in 1868, Pater gives a reading of Morris's oeuvre with an emphasis on the mixture of Hellenic, medieval, and modern influences in the poet's works.

In the following essay, Tarvers contends that Morris utilizes vivid color imagery in The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems to manipulate “readers' emotional responses to the character and situations in his poetry.”

In the following essay, Lourie examines the seven Morris poems that make up the “The Blue Closet” group, maintaining that by studying these poems “we will perhaps have learned something essential about the Pre-Raphaelite contribution to English poetry.”

In the following essay, Latham analyzes Morris's omissions and revisions to The Earthly Paradise and establishes a chronology for the composition of the poem.

In the following essay, Oberg argues that the “Apology” and the Prologue to The Earthly Paradise function to foreshadow and amplify Morris's central poetic themes.

In the following essay, Stallman perceives Morris's “Rapunzel” as an archetypal Victorian treatment of the mythic quest and a “rite of passage” tale.

In the following essay, Talbot offers a feminist perspective on “Pomona” and maintains that Morris was aware and concerned with feminist and ecological issues.

In the following essay, Kirchhoff views Love is Not Enough to be a transitional work in Morris's poetic development.

In the following essay, Stevenson and Hale view “Sir Galahad: A Christmas Mystery” as a hybrid of the conventions of medieval religious drama, courtly romance, and medieval mystery play.

In the following essay, Clutton-Brock discusses Morris as a Romantic poet, contending that of “all the Romantic poets Morris, in his early poetry was the most romantic; for he was more consciously discontented with the circumstances of his own time than any of them.”

In the following essay, Hale and Stevenson determine Queen Guenevere's guilt in “Defence of Guenevere,” contending that “Morris created a fully sexual woman who makes no apology for her adulterous love but rather celebrates herself and her status as loyal queen.”

In the following excerpt, Stedman provides an overview of Morris's poetic oeuvre.

In the following essay, Markley determines the influence of Robert Browning on Morris's “Riding Together.”

In the following essay, Dawson credits Morris, along with Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Algernon Charles Swinburne, with the revival of Romanticism in English poetry and analyzes Morris's development as a poet.

In the following essay, Perrine provides an interpretation of Queen Guenevere's character in “The Defence of Guenevere” and finds her guilty of adultery in the poem.

In the following essay, Litzenberg traces Morris's allusions to Eddic matters in his pre-1869 verse.

In the following essay, which initially appeared in the Quarterly Review in 1872, Courthope delineates the major flaws in Morris's Earthly Paradise.

In the following essay, Chesterton views Morris as a prime representative of the Victorian era and outlines the limitations of his verse.

In the following review, which was originally published in March 1858, Garnett investigates the poetic influences on Morris's The Defence of Guenevere.