The Use of Compounds and Archaic Diction in the Works of William Morris

The author has studied diction in the works of William Morris, with emphasis on the late prose romances. An attempt has been made to systematically analyse archaic words and compounds appearing in his works. The method of study is quantitative as well as descriptive. The attempt has been made to correlate the results of the quantitative analysis with Morris' own opinions about diction, as well as with ninetheenth century opinions concerning diction, as uttered by critics reviewing Morris' works. These three aspects of study allow one to view his highly criticised diction more objectively.