WILLIAM BLAKE
William Blake was born in London in 1757.
His origins were humble.
He studied at the Royal Academy of Arts.
He created a new kind of art which emphasised the power of the
imagination.
He made illustrations for the : John Milton and for the Bible, and also left a cycle of
drawings inspired by Dante's (Divine Comedy).
A political freethinker, he supported the French Revolution.
Blake had a strong sense of religion. The most important literary influence in his life was
the Bible, because it presented a complete vision of the world and its history.
His poetry is from early romanticism because he rejects neoclassicism.
He created the method of 'illuminated printing' which combined picture and poetic text.
Blake died in London in 1827.
SONGS OF INNOCENCE
produced before the French Revolution.
The narrator is a shepherd who receives inspiration from a child for his songs.
The symbols are the rings, flowers and children.
the poems dealing with childhood as a symbol of innocence.
The language is simple and musical.
SONGS OF EXPERIENCE
During the period of terror in France.
A more pessimistic view of life emerges from these songs.
In these songs adulthood is treated.
The two collections read together give an ironic vision of the situation.
IMMAGINATION
imagination is the means by which one can know the world.
Divine vision = to see beyond material reality
Only God, the child and the poet have this vision of things.
The poet becomes a prophet who can know reality.
SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Black is concerned with political and social problems.
he suported the abolition of slavery and egalitarian principles.
He believed in revolution as a means of purification.
