Author Archive

William Blake

William Blake (1757–1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker whose visionary works challenged the rationalism and materialism of the Enlightenment. His major poetic works, including Songs of Innocence and of Experience and the epic prophetic books The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and Jerusalem , fuse radical theology with political critique, asserting the primacy of imagination and contraries as essential to human liberation. Blake’s intellectual contributions lie in his development of a personal mythology and his insistence on “mental fight” against oppressive systems, profoundly influencing later Romanticism and modern conceptions of creative rebellion.

30 summaries in the archive

Art The Poems, with Specimens of the Prose Writings – William Blake William Blake

This volume presents a collection of the poetry and selected prose writings of William Blake, drawing together works…

15 min read

Art The Poems – William Blake William Blake

This volume collects the poetry of William Blake, drawing from a range of sources including his published prophetic…

22 min read

Art The Poems of William Blake Comprising Songs of Innocence and of Experience – William Blake William Blake

This volume presents a collection of poems by William Blake, drawing together works from his Songs of Experience…

17 min read

Philosophy Selected Poems – William Blake William Blake

This volume is a selection of William Blake's poetry, presented with substantial editorial apparatus.

21 min read

Philosophy Songs – William Blake William Blake

The book opens with a contents list enumerating nineteen poems under "Songs of Innocence" and twenty-seven under "Songs…

19 min read

Literature The Shepherd – William Blake William Blake

The volume opens with publisher's advertisements for other Pickering titles, including Songs of Innocence and Experience and Count…

15 min read

Art For the Sexes: The Gates of Paradise – William Blake William Blake

The edition was published in 1905, edited by John Sampson, and includes a bibliographical preface, notes on the…

21 min read

Art All Religions are One – William Blake William Blake

All Religions are One is a series of philosophical aphorisms by William Blake, written in 1788, and is…

13 min read

Epistemology There is No Natural Religion – William Blake William Blake

There is No Natural Religion is a series of philosophical aphorisms by the English poet, painter, and printmaker…

13 min read

Literature Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion – William Blake William Blake

Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion is a prophetic book by William Blake, produced between 1804 and…

5 min read

Literature The Marriage of Heaven and Hell – William Blake William Blake

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a work by the English poet and artist William Blake.

18 min read

Literature The Book of Thel – William Blake William Blake

The Book of Thel is an illuminated poem by William Blake, dated 1789 and likely composed between 1788…

7 min read

Metaphysics Auguries of Innocence – William Blake William Blake

Auguries of Innocence is a poem by William Blake, first published posthumously in 1914.

6 min read

Literature Songs of Experience – William Blake William Blake

Songs of Experience is a collection of short lyric poems by William Blake, presented as a companion and…

17 min read

Classic Literature Songs of Innocence – William Blake William Blake

Songs of Innocence is a collection of short lyrical poems by the English poet and artist William Blake.

17 min read