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A review by octoberdad
The House of the Wolfings by William Morris
3.0
William Morris discovered the most tedious way to tell a story, and he demonstrated his discovery in "A Tale of the House of the Wolfings." I find it hard to believe that he was once offered the office of Poet Laureate of Great Britain and Ireland, upon the death of Lord Tennyson, given how poor the meter and rhyme of his verse in this book is — perhaps the council which presented it to him did so in jest. I applaud Morris for turning it down on the pretense of political differences rather than merit.
That said, I still give this book 3 stars (perhaps beyond my better judgment), because if one can get past Morris's absurd archaicism and defective balladry, the story is actually fairly engaging. Perhaps this supports C.S. Lewis's argument in [b:An Experiment in Criticism|80007|An Experiment in Criticism (Canto)|C.S. Lewis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347790855s/80007.jpg|77261] that some stories are universal, regardless of their form.
That said, I still give this book 3 stars (perhaps beyond my better judgment), because if one can get past Morris's absurd archaicism and defective balladry, the story is actually fairly engaging. Perhaps this supports C.S. Lewis's argument in [b:An Experiment in Criticism|80007|An Experiment in Criticism (Canto)|C.S. Lewis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347790855s/80007.jpg|77261] that some stories are universal, regardless of their form.