The Arts and Crafts Movement-ness of Beowulf

Audrey Tran
Professor Emlen
The Arts and Crafts Movement
October 6, 2016

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In the fifteenth century, the width of the margin in the book one owned roughly correlated
with how affluent one is. The more blank margin area, the more money people had to waste.
Looking at prayer books from medieval times, roughly dating back to the 15th century, priests
produced manuscripts of small, cramped text while wealthy families ordered books to be
produced with a fair amount of paper left unmarked and remarkable gold illuminations. Though
both styles differ greatly by production, purpose, and social attribution, Arts and Crafts printers
drew on books like The Book of Hours for aesthetic inspiration as exemplified by the Kelmscott
Press The Tale of Beowulf.
The Book of Hours was completely handcrafted, from the binding to the ink. Every day
has a designated prayer which was explicitly assigned in the table of contents. Red letter days
in particular indicated special days and special prayers. These prayers were set apart from the
rest of the prayers with red ink, setting a precedent for future printing of books and manuscripts.
Red ink became the medium with which phrases and ideas were emphasized. A true mark of the
craftsmanship of the manuscript besides every handwritten letter is the binding. With cords
conspicuously protruding on the side and misshapen boards as the books cover, human touch is
apparent. The unity of carefully ruled lines, meticulously chosen ink, and the sheer amount of
passages handwritten displays the commitment of those who invested their time and energy into
their religious devotions and the simple joy of creating something with ones hands. This idea of
effort matching personal importance continues to echo from the fifteenth century to the Arts and
Crafts Movement and to even today.
Amidst the plumes of smoke polluting the sky and the gritting sound of machines mass
producing goods, William Morris paved a path back to the garden by rendering his home in
London into Kelmscott Press. It is no surprise that a romantic childhood filled with knights and

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heroes would lead to a romantic outlook on life and its values. The medieval era influenced
Morris artistic values with its distinctive handcraft practices and modesty of happiness. A typical
person of that time would spend days fashioning a chair and would have pride in his work.
However, during the industrial age, one simply has to purchase a chair, depriving the consumer
of the joy of hard work and the interpersonal connection between craftsman and consumer.
Morris mourned the end of the art of labour so he took it upon himself to revive it. Dabbling in
various arts such as stained glass and textiles, he had a very influential hand in printing books.
The Arts and Crafts movement was truly a melting pot of contradictions. While valuing
simple and utilitarian designs in furniture, textiles were extravagantly decorated. Victorian styled
home decorations were scoffed while Kelmscott books had beautiful, rich flourishes and foliage.
Beyond the material, tangible subjects of the movement were the paradoxical social views.
Efforts were made by multiple Arts and Crafts patrons to diminish the gender inequality and
extend appreciation and production of art to women. However, exclusion of some classes was
inevitable due to the nature of the crafts. Though anyone can make their own crafts, not everyone
had the time and resources to. People truly selected what they believed in from the movement
and made it their own. In terms of publishing books, Morris honed in and developed the art of
the book. He turned away from the concept that the sole purpose of a book is for delivering
information. Morris made it into a holistic experience, integrating elevated illustration for
elevated text, creating a wistful dynamic between printer and owner.
Kelmscott printers pour meticulous decisions into the production of each book. The Tales
of Beowulf is an archetype of Arts and Craft printed work. The book cover alone demonstrates
how much thought and care craftsman put into their works. With a partially transparent goatskin
cover, the binding straps are clearly seen under. Hand done asymmetrical slits are evident where

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the straps are woven through, boasting the fact that a real person has produced it. Morris seeks
the finest quality binding and preserves the honesty of the material by accentuating its natural
qualities instead of hiding it. The interior exceeds the deliberate finesse of the cover. Intricate
illustrated foliage acts as the background for the bold black Morris typeface. Embedding text into
a spread of vines and leaves further pushes the concept of going back to the garden. Art is drawn
from nature and machines serve as obstacles. Human touch involves the reforging of the
connection between people and nature. The vegetable extract based ink dye is an attestment to
these efforts. Drawing from medieval book styles, The Tale of Beowulf implements wide margins
instead of filling the page with words and utilizes red ink for important sentences at the
beginning of loosely structured chapters and to highlight information in the margins. This echo
of medieval style is common of the Arts and Crafts movement to look back at simpler times to
draw inspiration. A very prominent art from the past are the illuminated and ornate letters of the
beginning of paragraphs. Every letter carefully illustrated by hand enhances the reading
experience. The medieval prayer books used decorated letters as the start of chapters or
paragraphs while the Arts and Crafts books used them more for its aesthetic value. Finally, after
pages and pages of ethereal flowers and plants winding throughout the text, the colophon is the
final indication of the Arts and Crafts movement. Credit was given where credit was due and a
large Kelmscott was printed at the very end. With great craftsmanship comes great pride and
ownership of the work. It was very characteristic of craftsmen to print or carve their names on
their works. As a whole, The Tales of Beowulf was a source of joy for the maker and consumer.
With The Tales of Beowulfs seemingly austere exterior, the details of the material and
craft are often overlooked. Only consumers of Arts and Crafts who have the luxury to seek out
quality goods would appreciate the details. They would laud the vibrancy of the ink and intricacy

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of the foliage illustrations that complimented the spread illustrations. Any Arts and Crafts
partaker could see the effort put into the production of the typeface and the handmade paper.
Consumers would also appreciate the same things but more for its aesthetic value rather than the
minute details put into it. On the other hand, a provincial farmer would most likely not go out of
his way to seek out the latest Kelmscott publication. Decorative art has the opportunity to be
appreciated by all, but it is not accessible enough.
A major concept of the Arts and Crafts movement was an attempt to spread universal joy
in labour, across all classes. Breaking the association of art and classism, proponents of Arts and
Crafts tried to make products relatable and enjoyable by anyone and everyone. However, Morris
romantic outlook clouds his judgment of what is realistic and what is idealistic. His social
activism initiated a struggle between innovation in terms of the material world and the social
construct. While machine industry improved the efficiency of manufacturing and made goods
more affordable, the aesthetic value significantly plummeted. Morris world of Arts and Crafts
lacked the balance between man and machine, sticking strictly to his own two hands. Although
this technique adds more value to the crafts, it wastes time and labor to work on better designs.
The Kelmscott Press produced some of the most beautiful works such as The Canterbury Tales,
but the allotment of time reduces the number of copies. An equilibrium has to be established
where one can draw from nature but still utilize what innovations have to offer.
The Tales of Beowulf serves as an embodiment of Arts and Crafts printing with hints of
medieval style and romanticism. Red letter days turned into red highlighted phrases and vividly
painted Biblical images turned into black and white plot illustrations. The garden was
successfully bound and encapsulated into a book.

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Work Cited
1. Waggoner, Diane. "The Art of the Book." "The Beauty of Life": William Morris & the Art of
Design. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2003. N. pag. Print.
2. Waggoner, Diane. "Introduction." "The Beauty of Life": William Morris & the Art of Design.
New York: Thames & Hudson, 2003. N. pag. Print.
3. Waggoner, Diane. "The Kelmscott Press and American Printing." "The Beauty of Life": William
Morris & the Art of Design. New York: Thames & Hudson, 2003. N. pag. Print.