NINETEENTH CENTURY ENGLISH LITERATURE – WILLIAM BLAKE
Songs of innocence, songs of experience, Man’s struggle with a Maker, who is at once benevolent, and also jealous, and tyrannical - these were his themes, portrayed deeply in layers of both innocence and experience, questioning, and expressing. He portrays, the bliss of innocence, and childhood, and he is obviously very critical of his age that bound man, and shackled his expression of joy. His themes are romantic, which means Man’s striving to break free, and the conflicts with both the Maker, and the society around him. Yet, his poems are supremely crafted and shows all these themes in profound perception and wholeness, revealing both the innocence and experience.
William Blake: The Visionary Poet and Artist
William Blake (1757–1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker whose works remain some of the most original and visionary in Western literature and art. A figure of the Romantic Age, Blake defied conventional norms, blending mysticism, social criticism, and artistic innovation. His illuminated books, such as Songs of Innocence and Experience and The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, reveal a mind deeply engaged with spiritual, political, and philosophical questions.
Early Life and Artistic Training
Born in London, Blake showed an early inclination for art and poetry. At age ten, he began studying drawing, later apprenticing with engraver James Basire. This training in engraving influenced his later work, as Blake developed a unique method of "illuminated printing," combining text and image in hand-colored plates. His wife, Catherine Boucher, assisted him in this labor-intensive process, which allowed him to control every aspect of his publications.
Poetic Works: Innocence vs. Experience
Blake’s most famous poetry collections, Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794), explore contrasting states of the human soul. The Songs of Innocence depict childlike wonder and purity, as seen in poems like The Lamb and The Chimney Sweeper. However, Songs of Experience presents a darker vision, critiquing social oppression and corruption—The Tyger and London reveal Blake’s anger at institutional cruelty, particularly child labor and industrial exploitation.
Mysticism and Prophetic Books
Blake’s later works, known as his "Prophetic Books," are dense with mythological and biblical imagery. In The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790–93), he subverts traditional morality, declaring that "without contraries is no progression." His epic poems, such as Milton and Jerusalem, envision spiritual rebirth and humanity’s liberation from oppression. Blake rejected the rationalism of the Enlightenment, instead embracing imagination as divine inspiration.
Art and Symbolism
Beyond poetry, Blake was a prolific visual artist. His illustrations for The Book of Job, Dante’s Divine Comedy, and his own works reveal a mastery of symbolic imagery. His style—ethereal, dramatic, and often surreal—reflects his belief that art should transcend the material world.
Legacy and Influence
Blake died in obscurity but is now celebrated as a revolutionary thinker. His defiance of authority, advocacy for free love and human rights, and fusion of art and poetry influenced later movements like Symbolism, Surrealism, and countercultural figures like Allen Ginsberg.
William Blake remains a towering figure whose works challenge readers to see beyond the visible world and embrace the power of imagination. As he wrote in The Auguries of Innocence:
"To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour."
His legacy endures as a testament to creativity, rebellion, and visionary genius.