William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language".His visual artistry led one contemporary art critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced". In 2002, Blake was p...

One of the great English Romantic poets, William Blake (1757-1827) was an artist, poet, mystic and visionary. His work ranges from the deceptively simple and lyrical Songs of Innocence and their counterpoint Experience - which juxtapose poems such as 'The Lamb' and 'The Tyger', and 'The Blossom' and 'The Sick Rose' - to highly elaborate, apocalyptic works, such as The Four Zoas, Milton and Jerusalem. Throughout his life Blake drew on a rich heritage of philosophy, religion and myth, to cre...

While his contemporaries considered Blake a madman, we now appreciate him as an important figure in the development of romantic and mystical poetry.Blake's poetry is unique from every angle: It possesses a philosophical depth that impacts the reader at a spiritual level.Blake created his own mythological world, which he outlined in his prophetic books. His complex world is inhabited by deities and heroes to whom he gave unusual names: Urizen, Luva, Tarmas, Urton, Los, Enitarm...

'Every page is a window open in Heaven … interwoven designs companion the poems, and gold and yellow tints diffuse themselves over the page like summer clouds. The poems [of Song of Innocence] are the morning song of Blake's genius.' - W.B. Yeats'Blake sang of the ideal world, of the truth of the intellect, and of the divinity of imagination … The only writer to have written songs for children with the soul of a child … he holds, in my view, a unique position because he unites intellectual...

Songs of Innocence and Experience brings together two books of poetry by William Blake that delve into these two opposing states of the human soul. His Songs of Innocence are often cheerful and sweet and always demonstrate the purity of youth, as Blake explores themes of freedom, happiness, loss and religion. The optimism of innocence is keenly contrasted by Blake’s Songs of Experience, which feature a more realistic and often darker view of the world.Ori...

In 1809 the little-known artist William Blake held an exhibition of 16 paintings in a private house in Soho in the west end of London. Works inspired by Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" and John Milton's "Paradise Lost" sat alongside biblical scenes and Arthurian legend. The exhibition was not a success; the only review in the press was extremely unfavourable and few of the public came. One of those who did was the poet Charles Lamb, who later described the pictures as 'hard, dry, yet with gra...

'How can the bird that is born for joy / Sit in a cage and sing?'A selection of Blake's most haunting verse, including 'The Songs of Innocence and Experience'.One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, g...

This carefully crafted ebook: "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (Illuminated Manuscript with the Original Illustrations of William Blake)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents.This ebook is a series of texts, which were written in imitation of biblical books of prophecy, but expressing the poets own personal romantic and revolutionary beliefs. It is not exactly known when the work was written. One assumes it was composed in London between 179...

William Blake's "Milton" is a profound exploration of the interplay between myth, imagination, and spiritual awakening. Written in a distinctively visionary style, this long poem articulates Blake's unique cosmology, wherein the figure of John Milton serves as both a historical figure and a mythic archetype. Through his intricate use of symbols and allegory, Blake delves into themes of divine inspiration, the nature of the human soul, and the pursuit of artistic truth, positioning Milton a...

In "All Religions Are One" and "There Is No Natural Religion," William Blake presents a thought-provoking exploration of spirituality that transcends orthodox beliefs. Through his unique illuminated manuscript style, Blake combines poetic prose with intricate illustrations to emphasize the interconnectedness of diverse religious traditions. The texts challenge the rigid constraints of organized religion while advocating for direct personal experience of the divine. Blake'Äôs visionary insi...

William Blake's "Songs of Innocence and of Experience" is a poignant and transformative exploration of the duality of human existence, contrasting the simplicity of innocence with the complexities of experience. Comprising two distinct yet interrelated collections, this work employs a unique blend of lyrical poetry and symbolic imagery, reflecting Blake's radical vision of a world where societal constraints clash with spiritual truth. Using simple yet powerful language, Blake captures the ...

Songs of Innocence and of Experience: Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul are two books of poetry by the English poet and painter, William Blake. Although Songs of Innocence was first published by itself in 1789, it is believed that Songs of Experience has always been published in conjunction with Innocence since its completion in 1794.Songs of Innocence mainly consists of poems describing the innocence and joy of the natural world, advocating free love and a closer relations...