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William Blake (1757-

William Blake in a portrait by Thomas Phillips.

• (^) Born into a family of humble origin in 1757.
• (^) Trained as an engraver , he practised this craft until he died.
• (^) Deeply aware of the great political and social issues of his age.

1. Life

William Blake, Portrait of Newton , 1795 Only Connect ... New Directions

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1. Life

William Blake, Portrait of Newton , 1795

• (^) The most important literary influence in his life was the Bible.
• (^) He claimed he had visions.
• (^) Died in 1827. Only Connect ... New Directions

• (^) An individual poet, both in terms of his personal vision and technique.
• (^) Contemporary of the American War of Independence and the French Revolution.

2. Blake the poet

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• (^) Blake wrote some prophetic books ( The Marriage of Heaven and Hell , Visions of the Daughters of Albion , America and Europe ).
• (^) These books express Blake’s own personal Romantic and revolutionary beliefs.

4. Blake the prophet

Only Connect ... New Directions William Blake, Vision of the Daughters of Albion , 1793, London, Tate Gallery.

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• (^) They were published as printed sheets from engraved plates containing prose , poetry and illustrations. The plates were then coloured by Blake himself.

4. Blake the prophet

Only Connect ... New Directions William Blake, Vision of the Daughters of Albion , 1793, London, Tate Gallery.

“Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate are necessary to Human Existence” “The Creator can be at the same time the God of love and innocence and the God of energy and violence” He stated: “without Contraries there is no Progression”. The possibility of progress is situated in the tension between contraries. The two states coexist in the human being and in the Creator.

7. Complementary

opposites

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• (^) Blake considered imagination as the means through which Man can know the world.
• (^) He did not believe in man’s rationality. For him the representatives of a rationalistic and materialistic philosophy were great heretics , since they denied the value of faith and intuition.

8. Blake’s Imagination

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The poet becomes a sort of prophet who can see more deeply into reality and who also tries to warn man against the evils of society.

9. The poet

Only Connect ... New Directions William Blake in a portrait by Thomas Phillips.

• (^) Songs of Innocence is written in the pastoral mode with simple imagery. It deals with childhood as the symbol of innocence.

1. Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794) Only Connect ... New Directions Cover engraving from the 1826 edition of Songs of Innocence and of Experience.

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1. Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794)

• (^) The world of innocence is full of joy and happiness , while the world of experience is full of cruelty and injustice. Only Connect ... New Directions Cover engraving from the 1826 edition of Songs of Innocence and of Experience.

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1. Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794)

• (^) The child becomes the object of Blake’s poetry because he is closer than the adult to the original state of harmony with nature. Only Connect ... New Directions Cover engraving from the 1826 edition of Songs of Innocence and of Experience.

Theme  The exploitation of children. Key images  The cry “weep” , darkness , the Angel. Devices  Symbols of innocence (lamb, happy, dance, sing). Contrast (black/white). Irony to criticize the institution.

12. The Chimney Sweeper

Only Connect ... New Directions William Blake, The Chimney Sweeper , in Songs of Innocence and of Experience ,

Theme  the causes of man’s lack of freedom. Key images  “The mind-forg’d manacles” ; three victims : the chimney-sweeper, the soldier and the prostitute. Devices :

• Repetitions : “(in) every” and “mark(s)” ;
• Metaphors : “blackening” contrasts with “appals” (makes pale);
• Hyperbole : “runs down in palace walls”.

13. London

Only Connect ... New Directions William Blake, London , in Songs of Experience , 1794.