The Well at the World's End

At the end of the 1880s, William Morris became a socialist activist and at the same time began writing his first fantasy novels, which would later inspire J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. For the Pre-Raphaelite artist, offering his readers an imaginary medieval world full of beauty was also a means of fighting against the alienation induced by capitalist industrial society. To this end, Morris established his own publishing house, the Kelmscott Press, where he produced versions of his stories illustrated by Pre-Raphaelites, in this case Edward Burne-Jones. As Burne-Jones explained, the book must embody medievalizing beauty accessible to all, a veritable “pocket cathedral.” Today, fantasy books and novels, as well as role-playing games, are still filled with illustrations, all the better to allow us to immerse ourselves in imaginary worlds.