William Blake
William Blake in an 1807 portrait by Thomas Phillips. Thomas Phillips ( October 18, 1770 - April 20, 1845) was an English portrait and subject painter.
Born	November 28, 1757(1757-11-28) London, England
Died	August 12, 1827 (aged 69) London, England
Occupation	Poet, Painter, Printmaker
Literary movement	Romanticism
Influences Bible, Dante Alighieri, John Milton, Emanuel Swedenborg
Influenced William Butler Yeats, Hart Crane, Kahlil Gibran, Allen Ginsberg, John Gardner

William Blake (28 November 1757 — 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Year 1757 ( MDCCLVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 1827 ( MDCCCXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" Painting (pān'tīng in Art, is the practice of applying Color to a Surface (support base such as e Printmaking is the Process of making artworks by Printing, normally on Paper. This is a list of modern literary movements: that is movements after the Renaissance. Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin John Milton ( 9 December, 1608 – 8 November, 1674) was an English Poet, Prose Polemicist and (born Emanuel Swedberg; February 8 1688–March 29 1772 was a Swedish Scientist, Philosopher, Christian mystic, and Theologian Harold Hart Crane ( July 21, 1899 – April 27, 1932) was an American Poet. Kahlil Gibran (born Gibrān Khalīl Gibrān bin Mikhā'īl bin Sa'ad; Arabic ar جبران خليل جبران بن ميخائيل بن سعد (born January Irwin Allen Ginsberg (ˈgɪnzbɝg (June 3 1926 &ndash April 5 1997 was an American Poet. John Champlin Gardner Jr ( July 21, 1933 – September 14, 1982) was a well-known and controversial American novelist and university For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Year 1757 ( MDCCLVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 1827 ( MDCCCXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The history of English poetry stretches from the middle of the 7th century to the present day Painting (pān'tīng in Art, is the practice of applying Color to a Surface (support base such as e Printmaking is the Process of making artworks by Printing, normally on Paper. Largely unrecognized during his lifetime, Blake's work is today considered seminal and significant in the history of both poetry and the visual arts.

Blake's prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the language. "^[1] His visual artistry has led one modern critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced. "^[2] Although he only once traveled any further than a day's walk outside London over the course of his life,^[3] his creative vision engendered a diverse and symbolically rich corpus, which embraced 'imagination' as "the body of God,"^[4] or "Human existence itself. Imagination is the ability to form Mental images/sounds/feelings or the ability to Spontaneously Generate images/sounds/feelings within one's own Mind "^[5]

Once considered mad for his idiosyncratic views, Blake is highly regarded today for his expressiveness and creativity, and the philosophical and mystical currents that underlie his work. His work has been characterized as part of the Romantic movement, or even "Pre-Romantic,"^[6] for its largely having appeared in the 18th century. Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Reverent of the Bible but hostile to the established Church, Blake was influenced by the ideals and ambitions of the French and American revolutions,^[7] as well as by such thinkers as Jacob Boehme and Emanuel Swedenborg. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" Jakob Böhme (probably April 24 1575 &ndash November 17 1624) was a German Christian mystic and Theologian (born Emanuel Swedberg; February 8 1688–March 29 1772 was a Swedish Scientist, Philosopher, Christian mystic, and Theologian ^[8]

Despite these known influences, the originality and singularity of Blake's work make it difficult to classify. One 19th century scholar characterised Blake as a "glorious luminary,"^[9] "a man not forestalled by predecessors, nor to be classed with contemporaries, nor to be replaced by known or readily surmisable successors. "^[10]

Early life

The archetype of the Creator is a familiar image in Blake's work. Here, the demiurgic figure Urizen prays before the world he has forged. Demiurge (the Latinized form of Greek demiourgos, δημιουργός, literally "public or skilled worker" from demos In the complex mythology of William Blake, Urizen is the embodiment of conventional reason and Law. The Song of Los is the third in a series of illuminated books painted by Blake and his wife, collectively known as the Continental Prophecies. An illuminated manuscript is a Manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration such as decorated Initials borders and

William Blake was born in 28A Broad Street, Golden Square, London, England on 28 November 1757, to a middle-class family. There is also Golden Square Victoria in Australia Golden Square, Soho, London in the City of Westminster London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland He was the third of 7 children,^[11][12] two of whom died in infancy. Blake's father, James, was a hosier. Hosiery is knitted coverings for the legs and feet Also referred to as legwear hosiery describes garments worn directly on the feet and Legs The term ^[12] He never attended school, being educated at home by his mother. ^[13] The Blakes were Dissenters, and are believed to have belonged to the Moravian Church. The term dissenter (from the Latin dissentire, “to disagree” labels one who dissents or disagrees in matters of opinion belief etc This page is about the Moravian Church globally For information about the church in a particular geographic area use the links at Organisation below The Bible was an early and profound influence on Blake, and would remain a source of inspiration throughout his life. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin

Blake began engraving copies of drawings of Greek antiquities purchased for him by his father, a practice that was then preferred to actual drawing. Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Drawing is a Visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium Within these drawings Blake found his first exposure to classical forms, through the work of Raphael, Michelangelo, Marten Heemskerk and Albrecht Dürer. Raphael Sanzio, usually known by his first name alone (in Italian Raffaello) (April 6 or March 28 1483 – April 6 1520 was an Italian painter and Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Two biographies were published of him during his lifetime One of them by Giorgio Vasari, proposed that he was the pinnacle of all Marten Jacobszoon Heemskerk van Veen or Maarten van Heemskerck (1498 Heemskerk &ndash October 1, 1574, Haarlem) was one of Albrecht Dürer (ˈalbʀɛçt ˈdyʀɐ ( May 21, 1471 &ndash April 6, 1528) was a German painter, Printmaker His parents knew enough of his headstrong temperament that he was not sent to school but was instead enrolled in drawing classes. He read avidly on subjects of his own choosing. During this period, Blake was also making explorations into poetry; his early work displays knowledge of Ben Jonson and Edmund Spenser. Benjamin Jonson ( c 11 June 1572 &ndash 6 August 1637) was an English Renaissance Dramatist Edmund Spenser (c 1552 &ndash 13 January, 1599) was an important English Poet and Poet Laureate best known for The

Apprenticeship to Basire

On 4 August 1772, Blake became apprenticed to engraver James Basire of Great Queen Street, for the term of seven years. Events 70 - The Destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Year 1772 ( MDCCLXXII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it James Basire, also known as James Basire Sr, (1730-1802 was a British Engraver. Great Queen Street is a street in central London, England in the West End ^[12] At the end of this period, at the age of 21, he was to become a professional engraver.

There is no record of any serious disagreement or conflict between the two during the period of Blake's apprenticeship. However, Peter Ackroyd's biography notes that Blake was later to add Basire's name to a list of artistic adversaries—and then cross it out. Peter Ackroyd (born 5 October 1949, East Acton, London) is an English Author. ^[14] This aside, Basire's style of engraving was of a kind held to be old-fashioned at the time,^[15] and Blake's instruction in this outmoded form may have been detrimental to his acquiring of work or recognition in later life.

After two years Basire sent him to copy images from the Gothic churches in London (it is possible that this task was set in order to break up a quarrel between Blake and James Parker, his fellow apprentice), and his experiences in Westminster Abbey contributed to the formation of his artistic style and ideas; the Abbey of his day was decorated with suits of armour, painted funeral effigies and varicoloured waxworks. See also Gothic art Gothic architecture is a style of Architecture which flourished during the high and late medieval period. The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church Ackroyd notes that "the most immediate [impression] would have been of faded brightness and colour". ^[16] In the long afternoons Blake spent sketching in the Abbey, he was occasionally interrupted by the boys of Westminster School, one of whom "tormented" Blake so much one afternoon that he knocked the boy off a scaffold to the ground, "upon which he fell with terrific Violence". The Royal College of St Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain 's leading boys' Independent schools with ^[17] Blake beheld more visions in the Abbey, of a great procession of monks and priests, while he heard "the chant of plain-song and chorale". For the band see " Plainsong (band " For the song on The Cure's 1989 album see " Disintegration " A chorale was originally a Hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation

The Royal Academy

In 1778, Blake became a student at the Royal Academy in Old Somerset House, near the Strand. This article refers to an art institution in London For other meanings of Royal Academy see Royal Academy (disambiguation. The Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. While the terms of his study required no payment, he was expected to supply his own materials throughout the six-year period. There, he rebelled against what he regarded as the unfinished style of fashionable painters such as Rubens, championed by the school's first president, Joshua Reynolds. Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA (16 July 1723 &ndash 23 February 1792 was the most important and influential of 18th century English painters Over time, Blake came to detest Reynolds' attitude toward art, especially his pursuit of "general truth" and "general beauty". Reynolds wrote in his Discourses that the "disposition to abstractions, to generalizing and classification, is the great glory of the human mind"; Blake responded, in marginalia to his personal copy, that "To Generalize is to be an Idiot; To Particularize is the Alone Distinction of Merit". ^[18] Blake also disliked Reynolds' apparent humility, which he held to be a form of hypocrisy. Against Reynolds' fashionable oil painting, Blake preferred the Classical precision of his early influences, Michelangelo and Raphael. Oil painting is the process of painting with Pigments that are bound with a medium of Drying oil — especially in early modern Europe Linseed oil For the works or study of works from classical antiquity see Classics Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Two biographies were published of him during his lifetime One of them by Giorgio Vasari, proposed that he was the pinnacle of all Raphael Sanzio, usually known by his first name alone (in Italian Raffaello) (April 6 or March 28 1483 – April 6 1520 was an Italian painter and

Gordon Riots

Blake's first biographer Alexander Gilchrist records that in June 1780, Blake was walking towards Basire's shop in Great Queen Street when he was swept up by a rampaging mob that stormed Newgate Prison in London. Alexander Gilchrist (1828 &ndash November 30, 1861) was the biographer of William Blake; the biography is still a standard reference work on the poet For the prison in East Granby, Connecticut, see Old Newgate Prison. ^[19] They attacked the prison gates with shovels and pickaxes, set the building ablaze, and released the prisoners inside. Blake was reportedly in the front rank of the mob during this attack. These riots, in response to a parliamentary bill revoking sanctions against Roman Catholicism, later came to be known as the Gordon Riots; they provoked a flurry of legislation from the government of George III, as well as the creation of the first police force. The Gordon Riots refers to a number of events in a predominantly Protestant religious uprising in London, England, in 1780, aimed against the George III (George William Frederick 4 June 1738 George III's long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom much of the rest of Europe and places Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force

Despite Gilchrist's insistence that Blake was "forced" to accompany the crowd, some biographers have argued that he accompanied it impulsively, or supported it as a revolutionary act. ^[20] In contrast, Jerome McGann argues that the riots were reactionary, and that events would have provoked "disgust" in Blake. ^[21]

Marriage and early career

Oberon, Titania and Puck with Fairies Dancing (1786)

In 1782, Blake met John Flaxman, who was to become his patron, and Catherine Boucher, who was to become his wife. John Flaxman ( 6 July 1755 - 7 December 1826) was an English sculptor and draughtsman. At the time, Blake was recovering from a relationship that had culminated in a refusal of his marriage proposal. Telling Catherine and her parents the story, she expressed her sympathy, whereupon Blake asked her, "Do you pity me?" To Catherine's affirmative response he responded, "Then I love you. " Blake married Catherine – who was five years his junior – on 18 August 1782 in St. Mary's Church, Battersea. Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. Year 1782 ( MDCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common St Mary's Church Battersea is the local Church of England parish church in Battersea, formerly in Surrey and now part of south London, Illiterate, Catherine signed her wedding contract with an 'X'. Later, in addition to teaching Catherine to read and write, Blake trained her as an engraver; throughout his life she would prove an invaluable aid to him, helping to print his illuminated works and maintaining his spirits throughout numerous misfortunes. An illuminated manuscript is a Manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration such as decorated Initials borders and

At this time George Cumberland, one of the founders of the National Gallery, became an admirer of Blake's work. Blake's first collection of poems, Poetical Sketches, was published circa 1783. After his father's death, William and his brother Robert opened a print shop in 1784, and began working with radical publisher Joseph Johnson. Joseph Johnson (15 November 1738 – 20 December 1809 was an influential Johnson's house was a place of meeting for some of the leading intellectual dissidents of the time in England: Joseph Priestley, scientist; Richard Price, philosopher; John Henry Fuseli;^[22] Mary Wollstonecraft, an early feminist; and Thomas Paine, American revolutionary. Joseph Priestley (13 March 1733 ( Old Richard Price ( February 23, 1723 &ndash April 19, 1791) was a Welsh moral and political philosopher Henry Fuseli (in German Johann Heinrich Füssli; February 7, 1741 – April 16, 1825) was a British painter Mary Wollstonecraft (ˈwʊlstənkrɑːft 27 April 1759 – 10 September Thomas Paine (January 29 1737 &ndash June 8 1809 was an English Pamphleteer, Revolutionary, radical, Inventor, and Intellectual Along with William Wordsworth and William Godwin, Blake had great hopes for the American and French revolution and wore a Phrygian cap in solidarity with the French revolutionaries, but despaired with the rise of Robespierre and the Reign of Terror in the French revolution. William Godwin ( 3 March 1756 &ndash 7 April 1836) was an English journalist political philosopher and Novelist The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an The Phrygian cap is a soft red conical cap with the top pulled forward worn in antiquity by the inhabitants of Phrygia, a region of central Anatolia Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (maksimiljɛ̃ fʁɑ̃swa maʁi izidɔʁ də ʁɔbɛspjɛʁ ( 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) Saint justjpg|thumbnail|200px| Louis Antoine Léon de Saint-Just]] The Reign of Terror' (5 September 1793 &ndash 28 July 1794 or simply The Terror (la Terreur was

Blake illustrated Original Stories from Real Life (1788; 1791) by Mary Wollstonecraft. Original Stories from Real Life with Conversations Calculated to Regulate Mary Wollstonecraft (ˈwʊlstənkrɑːft 27 April 1759 – 10 September They seem to have shared some views on sexual equality and the institution of marriage, but there is no evidence proving without doubt that they actually met. In 1793's Visions of the Daughters of Albion, Blake condemned the cruel absurdity of enforced chastity and marriage without love and defended the right of women to complete self-fulfillment. Visions of the Daughters of Albion is a 1793 poem by William Blake, produced as a book with his own illustrations

Relief etching

Blake's Newton (1795) demonstrates his opposition to the "single-vision" of scientific materialism: Newton fixes his eye on a compass (recalling Proverbs 8:27, an important passage for Milton^[23]) to write upon a scroll which seems to project from his own head. Philosophical naturalism has been described in various ways In its broadest and strongest sense naturalism is the metaphysical position that "nature is all there is The Book of Proverbs is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh, and thus also one of the books of the Old Testament. ^[24]

In 1788, at the age of 31, Blake began to experiment with relief etching, a method he would use to produce most of his books, paintings, pamphlets and of course his poems, including his longer 'prophecies' and his masterpiece the "Bible. For other uses of etch or etching, see Etching (disambiguation, for the history of the method see Old master prints. " The process is also referred to as illuminated printing, and final products as illuminated books or prints. An illuminated manuscript is a Manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration such as decorated Initials borders and Illuminated printing involved writing the text of the poems on copper plates with pens and brushes, using an acid-resistant medium. Illustrations could appear alongside words in the manner of earlier illuminated manuscripts. An illuminated manuscript is a Manuscript in which the text is supplemented by the addition of decoration such as decorated Initials borders and He then etched the plates in acid in order to dissolve away the untreated copper and leave the design standing in relief (hence the name).

This is a reversal of the normal method of etching, where the lines of the design are exposed to the acid, and the plate printed by the intaglio method. For other uses of etch or etching, see Etching (disambiguation, for the history of the method see Old master prints. Relief etching, which Blake invented, later became an important commercial printing method. For other uses of etch or etching, see Etching (disambiguation, for the history of the method see Old master prints. The pages printed from these plates then had to be hand-coloured in water colours and stitched together to make up a volume. Blake used illuminated printing for most of his well-known works, including Songs of Innocence and Experience, The Book of Thel, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, and Jerusalem. 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 The Book of Thel is a poem by William Blake, dated 1789 and probably worked on in the period 1788 to 1790 The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is one of William Blake 's Books a series of texts written in imitation of biblical books of prophecy but expressing Blake's Jerusalem, subtitled The Emanation of the Giant Albion, was the last longest and greatest in scope of the prophetic books written and illustrated

Later life and career

Blake's marriage to Catherine remained a close and devoted one until his death. There were early problems such as Catherine's illiteracy and the couple's failure to produce children. Gilchrist refers to "stormy times" in the early years of the marriage. ^[25] Some biographers have suggested that Blake tried to bring a concubine into the marriage bed in accordance with the beliefs of the Swedenborgian Society, ^[26] but other scholars have dismissed these theories as conjecture. Concubinage is the state of a woman or youth in an ongoing quasi-matrimonial relationship with a man of higher social status (born Emanuel Swedberg; February 8 1688–March 29 1772 was a Swedish Scientist, Philosopher, Christian mystic, and Theologian ^[27] Blake taught Catherine to write, and she helped him to colour his printed poems. ^[28]

Felpham

Hecate, 1795. Blake's vision of Hecate, Greek goddess of black magic and the underworld

In 1800, Blake moved to a cottage at Felpham in Sussex (now West Sussex) to take up a job illustrating the works of William Hayley, a minor poet. Hecate ( Greek: Ἑκάτη, "far-shooting") Hekate ( Hekátê Felpham (sometimes pronounced locally as Felf-ham) is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England Settlements Most settlements in West Sussex are either along the south coast or are situated in the M23 corridor This was also the name of a 17th century rector of St Giles in the Fields and a contemporary architect b It was in this cottage that Blake wrote Milton: a Poem (published between 1805 and 1808). Milton a Poem is an Epic poem by William Blake, written and illustrated between 1804 and 1810. The preface to this work includes a poem beginning "And did those feet in ancient time", which became the words for the anthem, "Jerusalem". " And did those feet in ancient time " is a short Poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton a Poem (1804 Over time, Blake came to resent his new patron, coming to believe that Hayley was disinterested in true artistry, and preoccupied with "the meer drudgery of business". ^[29] Blake's disenchantment with Hayley has been speculated to have influenced Milton: a Poem, in which Blake wrote that "Corporeal Friends are Spiritual Enemies" (3:26). Milton a Poem is an Epic poem by William Blake, written and illustrated between 1804 and 1810. ^[29]

Blake's trouble with authority came to a head in August 1803, when he was involved in a physical altercation with a soldier called John Schofield. ^[30] Blake was charged not only with assault, but also with uttering seditious and treasonable expressions against the King. Schofield claimed that Blake had exclaimed, "Damn the king. The soldiers are all slaves. "^[31] Blake would be cleared in the Chichester assizes of the charges. Chichester is a cathedral city in West Sussex, England. It has a long history as a settlement its Roman past and its subsequent importance The Court of Assize, or Assizes, is a medieval term for Legal codes (such as Assizes of Jerusalem) that continues to be used in modern times According to a report in the Sussex county paper, "The invented character of [the evidence] was . . . so obvious that an acquittal resulted. "^[32] Schofield was later depicted wearing "mind forged manacles" in an illustration to Jerusalem. ^[33]

Return to London

Blake's The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with Sun (1805) is one of a series of illustrations of Revelation 12. The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου

Blake returned to London in 1804 and began to write and illustrate Jerusalem (1804–1820), his most ambitious work. Jerusalem, subtitled The Emanation of the Giant Albion, was the last longest and greatest in scope of the prophetic books written and illustrated Having conceived the idea of portraying the characters in Chaucer's Canterbury Pilgrims, Blake approached the dealer Robert Cromek, with a view to marketing an engraving. Geoffrey Chaucer (c 1343 – 25 October 1400? was an English author poet Philosopher, bureaucrat, courtier and Diplomat. The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century (two of them in Prose, the rest in verse) Robert Hartley Cromek (1770-1812 was an engraver art dealer and entrepreneur who was most active in the early nineteenth century Knowing that Blake was too eccentric to produce a popular work, Cromek promptly commissioned Thomas Stothard to execute the concept. Thomas Stothard ( 17 August 1755 - 27 April 1834) was an English painter and Engraver. When Blake learned that he had been cheated, he broke off contact with Stothard, formerly a friend. He also set up an independent exhibition in his brother's shop, designed to market his own version of the Chaucer illustration, along with other works. As a result he wrote his Descriptive Catalogue (1809), which contains what Anthony Blunt has called a "brilliant analysis" of Chaucer. The Descriptive Catalogue of 1809 is a description of and prospectus for an exhibition by William Blake of a number of his own illustrations for various Anthony Frederick Blunt (26 September 1907 Bournemouth, Hampshire &ndash 26 March 1983 Westminster, London) known as Sir Anthony It is regularly anthologised as a classic of Chaucer criticism. ^[34] It also contained detailed explanations of his other paintings.

He was introduced by George Cumberland to a young artist named John Linnell. John Linnell ( June 16, 1792 - January 20, 1882) was an English Landscape painter. Through Linnell he met Samuel Palmer, who belonged to a group of artists who called themselves the Shoreham Ancients. Samuel Palmer ( January 27 1805 – May 24 1881) was an English landscape painter, Etcher and The Ancients (also known as Shoreham Ancients and Extollagers) were a group of English artists who were brought together by their attraction to archaism in art This group shared Blake's rejection of modern trends and his belief in a spiritual and artistic New Age. At the age of 65 Blake began work on illustrations for the Book of Job. The Book of Job ( איוב) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. These works were later admired by Ruskin, who compared Blake favourably to Rembrandt, and by Vaughan Williams, who based his ballet Job: A Masque for Dancing on a selection of the illustrations. John Ruskin (8 February 1819 &ndash 20 January 1900 is best known for his work as an Art critic, sage writer, and Social critic, but is remembered Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (July 15 1606 &ndash October 4 1669 was a Dutch painter and etcher. Ralph (reɪf Vaughan Williams OM (12 October 1872 &ndash 26 August 1958 was an English Composer of symphonies, Chamber music Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance Job A Masque for Dancing is a ballet written by the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Later in his life Blake began to sell a great number of his works, particularly his Bible illustrations, to Thomas Butts, a patron who saw Blake more as a friend than a man whose work held artistic merit; this was typical of the opinions held of Blake throughout his life. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin

Dante's Inferno

The commission for Dante's Inferno came to Blake in 1826 through Linnell, with the ultimate aim of producing a series of engravings. John Linnell ( June 16, 1792 - January 20, 1882) was an English Landscape painter. Blake's death in 1827 would cut short the enterprise, and only a handful of the watercolours were completed, with only seven of the engravings arriving at proof form. Even so, they have evoked praise:

'[T]he Dante watercolours are among Blake's richest achievements, engaging fully with the problem of illustrating a poem of this complexity. Watercolor ( US) or Watercolour ( UK) (and "aquarelle" in French is a Painting method The mastery of watercolour has reached an even higher level than before, and is used to extraordinary effect in differentiating the atmosphere of the three states of being in the poem'. ^[35]

Blake's The Lovers' Whirlwind illustrates Hell in Canto V of Dante's Inferno

Blake's illustrations of the poem are not merely accompanying works, but rather seem to critically revise, or furnish commentary on, certain spiritual or moral aspects of the text. In illustrating Paradise Lost, for instance, Blake seemed intent on revising Milton's focus on Satan as the central figure of the epic; for example, in Satan Watching the Endearments of Adam and Eve (1808), Satan occupies an isolated position at the picture's top, with Adam and Eve centered below. Paradise Lost is an Epic poem in Blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. Satan, ( Standard Hebrew Satan'el, English accuser) is a term that originates from the Abrahamic faiths, being traditionally Adam (אָדָם ʼĀḏām, "dust man mankind" آدم; Ge'ez: አዳ and Eve (חַוָּה Ḥawwā, "living As if to emphasise the effects of the juxtaposition, Blake has shown Adam and Eve caught in an embrace, whereas Satan may only onanistically caress the serpent, whose identity he is close to assuming.

In this instance, because the project was never completed, Blake's intent may itself be obscured. Some indicators, however, bolster the impression that Blake's illustrations in their totality would themselves take issue with the text they accompany: In the margin of Homer Bearing the Sword and His Companions, Blake notes, "Every thing in Dantes Comedia shews That for Tyrannical Purposes he has made This World the Foundation of All & the Goddess Nature & not the Holy Ghost. Homer ( Ancient Greek:, Homēros) is a legendary ancient Greek epic Poet, traditionally said to be the author of the epic poems the In mainstream Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is one of the three entities of the Holy Trinity which make up the single substance " Blake seems to dissent from Dante's admiration of the poetic works of the ancient Greeks, and from the apparent glee with which Dante allots punishments in Hell (as evidenced by the grim humour of the cantos). The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Hell, according to many Religious beliefs, is a location in the Afterlife, which may be described as a place of suffering

At the same time, Blake shared Dante's distrust of materialism and the corruptive nature of power, and clearly relished the opportunity to represent the atmosphere and imagery of Dante's work pictorially. The Philosophy of materialism holds that the only thing that can be truly proven to exist is Matter, and is considered a form of Physicalism. Even as he seemed to near death, Blake's central preoccupation was his feverish work on the illustrations to Dante's Inferno; he is said to have spent one of the very last shillings he possessed on a pencil to continue sketching. The Divine Comedy The shilling is a unit of Currency used in current and former Commonwealth countries and was continued to be used in countries that left the commonwealth ^[36]

Blake's death

Monument near Blake's unmarked grave in London

On the day of his death, Blake worked relentlessly on his Dante series. Eventually, it is reported, he ceased working and turned to his wife, who was in tears by his bedside. Beholding her, Blake is said to have cried, "Stay Kate! Keep just as you are – I will draw your portrait – for you have ever been an angel to me. " Having completed this portrait (now lost), Blake laid down his tools and began to sing hymns and verses. ^[37] At six that evening, after promising his wife that he would be with her always, Blake died. Gilchrist reports that a female lodger in the same house, present at his expiration, said, "I have been at the death, not of a man, but of a blessed angel. "^[38]

Since 1965, the exact location of William Blake's grave had been lost and forgotten, while gravestones were taken away to create a new lawn. Nowadays, William Blake’s grave is commemorated by a stone that reads 'nearby lie the remains of William Blake and his wife Catherine Sophia'. This memorial stone is situated approximately 20 metres away from William Blake’s grave. The actual spot of Blake’s grave is not marked.

George Richmond gives the following account of Blake's death in a letter to Samuel Palmer:

Catherine paid for Blake's funeral with money lent to her by Linnell. He was buried five days after his death – on the eve of his forty-fifth wedding anniversary – at the Dissenter's burial ground in Bunhill Fields, where his parents were also interred. Bunhill Fields is a cemetery located in the United Kingdom, in the London Borough of Islington, north of the City of London, and managed by the City Present at the ceremonies were Catherine, Edward Calvert, George Richmond, Frederick Tatham and John Linnell. Edward Calvert (1799 - 1883 was an English Printmaker and painter. Frederick Tatham (1805-1878 was a British artist who was a member of the Shoreham Ancients, a group of followers of William Blake. Following Blake's death, Catherine moved into Tatham's house as a housekeeper. During this period, she believed she was regularly visited by Blake's spirit. She continued selling his illuminated works and paintings, but would entertain no business transaction without first "consulting Mr. Blake". ^[40] On the day of her own death, in October 1831, she was as calm and cheerful as her husband, and called out to him "as if he were only in the next room, to say she was coming to him, and it would not be long now". ^[41]

On her death, Blake's manuscripts were inherited by Frederick Tatham, who burned several of those which he deemed heretical or too politically radical. Frederick Tatham (1805-1878 was a British artist who was a member of the Shoreham Ancients, a group of followers of William Blake. Tatham had become an Irvingite, one of the many fundamentalist movements of the 19th century, and was severely opposed to any work that smacked of blasphemy. Edward Irving ( August 4, 1792 &ndash December 7, 1834) Scottish clergyman generally regarded as the main figure behind the foundation Blasphemy is the disrespectful use of the name of one or more gods. ^[42] Sexual imagery in a number of Blake's drawings was also erased by John Linnell. ^[43] Blake is now recognised as a saint in the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica. A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica ( EGC) or the Gnostic Catholic Church, is the ecclesiastical arm of Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO an international fraternal The Blake Prize for Religious Art was established in his honour in Australia in 1949. The Blake Prize for Religious Art is an annual Art Prize in Australia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. In 1957 a memorial was erected in Westminster Abbey, in memory of him and his wife. ^[44]

Blake and religion

Blake's Ancient of Days. The "Ancient of Days" is described in Chapter 7 of the Book of Daniel. Ancient of Days is a name for God in Aramaic Atik Yomin; in the Greek Septuagint: Palaios Hemeron; and in the Vulgate: Antiquus The Book of Daniel (דניאל, originally written in Hebrew and Aramaic, is a Book in both the Hebrew Bible ( Tanakh) and the Christian

Although Blake's attacks on conventional religion were shocking in his own day, his rejection of religiosity was not a rejection of religion per se. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos His view of orthodoxy is evident in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, a series of texts written in imitation of Biblical prophecy. Bible prophecy, or " biblical prophecy " is the belief in prophecies in the Bible. Therein, Blake lists several Proverbs of Hell, amongst which are the following:

Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion.

As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.

In The Everlasting Gospel, Blake does not present Jesus as a philosopher or traditional messianic figure but as a supremely creative being, above dogma, logic and even morality:

If he had been Antichrist, Creeping Jesus,

He'd have done anything to please us:

Gone sneaking into the Synagogues

And not used the Elders & Priests like Dogs,

But humble as a Lamb or an Ass,

Obey himself to Caiaphas. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Yosef Bar Kayafa ( Hebrew יוסף בַּר קַיָּפָא joˑsef bar qayːɔfɔʔ (which translates as Joseph son of Caiaphas) also known simply as

God wants not man to humble himself

Jesus, for Blake, symbolises the vital relationship and unity between divinity and humanity: "[A]ll had originally one language and one religion: this was the religion of Jesus, the everlasting Gospel. Antiquity preaches the Gospel of Jesus. " ^[13]

Blake designed his own mythology, which appears largely in his prophetic books. Within these Blake describes a number of characters, including 'Urizen', 'Enitharmon', 'Bromion' and 'Luvah'. This mythology seems to have a basis in the Bible and in Greek mythology,^[45] and it accompanies his ideas about the everlasting Gospel. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance

One of Blake's strongest objections to orthodox Christianity is that he felt it encouraged the suppression of natural desires and discouraged earthly joy. The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to The Eastern Orthodox Church: the Eastern Christian churches of Byzantine In A Vision of the Last Judgement, Blake says that:

One may also note his words concerning religion in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell:

The Body of Abel Found by Adam and Eve, c. 1825. Watercolour on wood.

Blake does not subscribe to the notion of a distinct body from the soul, and which must submit to the rule of soul, but rather sees body as an extension of soul derived from the 'discernment' of the senses. With regard to living things, a body is the integral physical material of an individual The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living Thus, the emphasis orthodoxy places upon the denial of bodily urges is a dualistic error born of misapprehension of the relationship between body and soul; elsewhere, he describes Satan as the 'State of Error', and as being beyond salvation. ^[46]

Blake opposed the sophistry of theological thought that excuses pain, admits evil and apologises for injustice. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective Pain, in the sense of physical pain, is a typical sensory experience that may be described as the unpleasant awareness of a noxious stimulus or bodily harm Evil, in many cultures is used to describe acts or thoughts which are contrary to some particular religion He abhorred self-denial,^[47] which he associated with religious repression and particularly with sexual repression:^[48] "Prudence is a rich ugly old maid courted by Incapacity. / He who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence. "^[49] He saw the concept of 'sin' as a trap to bind men’s desires (the briars of Garden of Love), and believed that restraint in obedience to a moral code imposed from the outside was against the spirit of life:

Abstinence sows sand all over

The ruddy limbs & flaming hair,

But Desire Gratified

Plants fruits & beauty there. Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral Rule, or the state of having committed such a violation

He did not hold with the doctrine of God as Lord, an entity separate from and superior to mankind^[50]; this is shown clearly in his words about Jesus Christ: "He is the only God . Doctrine (Latin doctrina) is a codification of beliefs or "a body of teachings quot or "instructions" taught principles or positions as the . . and so am I, and so are you. " A telling phrase in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is "men forgot that All deities reside in the human breast". This is very much in line with his belief in liberty and equality in society and between the sexes. Liberty, the freedom to act or believe without being stopped by unnecessary force

Assessment

Creative mindset

Northrop Frye, commenting on Blake's consistency in strongly held views, notes that Blake "himself says that his notes on [Joshua] Reynolds, written at fifty, are 'exactly Similar' to those on Locke and Bacon, written when he was 'very Young'. Herman Northrop Frye, CC, MA (Oxon, DD, DLitt, FRSC ( July 14, 1912 &ndash January 23, 1991 Even phrases and lines of verse will reappear as much as forty years later. Consistency in maintaining what he believed to be true was itself one of his leading principles . . . Consistency, then, foolish or otherwise, is one of Blake's chief preoccupations, just as 'self-contradiction' is always one of his most contemptuous comments". ^[51]

Blake's "A Negro Hung Alive by the Ribs to a Gallows", an illustration to J. G. Stedman's Narrative, of a Five Years' Expedition, against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam (1796).

Blake abhorred slavery and believed in racial and sexual equality. As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another ^[52] Several of his poems and paintings express a notion of universal humanity: "As all men are alike (tho' infinitely various)". In one poem, narrated by a black child, white and black bodies alike are described as shaded groves or clouds, which exist only until one learns "to bear the beams of love":

When I from black, and he from white cloud free,

And round the tent of God like lambs we joy,

I'll shade him from the heat till he can bear

To lean in joy upon our Father's knee;

And then I'll stand and stroke his silver hair,

And be like him, and he will then love me. ^[53]

Blake retained an active interest in social and political events for all his life, often cloaking social and political statements in mystical allegory. An allegory (from αλλος allos "other" and el αγορευειν agoreuein "to speak in public" is a figurative mode of representation His views on what he saw as oppression and restriction of rightful freedom extended to the Church. His spiritual beliefs are evidenced in Songs of Experience (1794), in which he distinguishes between the Old Testament God, whose restrictions he rejected, and the New Testament God (Jesus Christ in Trinitarianism), whom he saw as a positive influence. In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных

Blake's visions

From a young age, William Blake claimed to have seen visions. In Spirituality including Religion, visions comprise Inspirational renderings generally of a Future state and/or of a mythical The earliest of these visions may have occurred as early as the age of four when, according to one anecdote, the young artist "saw God" when God "put his head to the window", causing Blake to break into screaming. ^[54] At the age of eight or ten in Peckham Rye, London, Blake claimed to have seen "a tree filled with angels, bright angelic wings bespangling every bough like stars. Peckham Rye is an open space and road in the London Borough of Southwark in London, England. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. "^[54] According to Blake's Victorian biographer Gilchrist, he returned home and reported this vision, and he only escaped being thrashed by his father for telling a lie through the intervention of his mother. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities Though all evidence suggests that his parents were largely supportive, his mother seems to have been especially so, and several of Blake's early drawings and poems decorated the walls of her chamber. On another occasion, Blake watched haymakers at work, and thought he saw angelic figures walking among them. ^[54]

Blake claimed to experience visions throughout his life. They were often associated with beautiful religious themes and imagery, and therefore may have inspired him further with spiritual works and pursuits. Certainly, religious concepts and imagery figure centrally in Blake's works. God and Christianity constituted the intellectual center of his writings, from which he drew inspiration. God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings In addition, Blake believed that he was personally instructed and encouraged by Archangels to create his artistic works, which he claimed were actively read and enjoyed by those same Archangels. Archangels are superior or higher-ranking Angels Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions including Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism In a letter to William Hayley, dated May 6, 1800, Blake writes:

I know that our deceased friends are more really with us than when they were apparent to our mortal part. This was also the name of a 17th century rector of St Giles in the Fields and a contemporary architect b Thirteen years ago I lost a brother, and with his spirit I converse daily and hourly in the spirit, and see him in my remembrance, in the region of my imagination. I hear his advice, and even now write from his dictate.

The Ghost of a Flea, 1819-1820. Having informed painter-astrologer John Varley of his visions of apparitions, Blake was subsequently persuaded to paint one of them. ^[55] Varley's anecdote of Blake and his vision of the flea's ghost became well-known. ^[55]

In a letter to John Flaxman, dated September 21, 1800, Blake writes:

[The town of] Felpham is a sweet place for Study, because it is more spiritual than London. John Flaxman ( 6 July 1755 - 7 December 1826) was an English sculptor and draughtsman. Heaven opens here on all sides her golden Gates; her windows are not obstructed by vapours; voices of Celestial inhabitants are more distinctly heard, & their forms more distinctly seen; & my Cottage is also a Shadow of their houses. My Wife & Sister are both well, courting Neptune for an embrace. . . I am more famed in Heaven for my works than I could well conceive. In my Brain are studies & Chambers filled with books & pictures of old, which I wrote & painted in ages of Eternity before my mortal life; & those works are the delight & Study of Archangels.

In a letter to Thomas Butts, dated April 25, 1803, Blake writes:

Now I may say to you, what perhaps I should not dare to say to anyone else: That I can alone carry on my visionary studies in London unannoy'd, & that I may converse with my friends in Eternity, See Visions, Dream Dreams & prophecy & speak Parables unobserv'd & at liberty from the Doubts of other Mortals; perhaps Doubts proceeding from Kindness, but Doubts are always pernicious, Especially when we Doubt our Friends.

In A Vision of the Last Judgement Blake writes:

Error is Created. Truth is Eternal. Error, or Creation, will be Burned up, & then, & not till Then, Truth or Eternity will appear. It is Burnt up the Moment Men cease to behold it. I assert for My Self that I do not behold the outward Creation & that to me it is hindrance & not Action; it is as the Dirt upon my feet, No part of Me. "What," it will be Question'd, "When the Sun rises, do you not see a round disk of fire somewhat like a Guinea?" Oh no, no, I see an Innumerable company of the Heavenly host crying, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty. ' I question not my Corporeal or Vegetative Eye any more than I would Question a Window concerning Sight. I look thro' it & not with it. ^[56]

William Wordsworth remarked, "There was no doubt that this poor man was mad, but there is something in the madness of this man which interests me more than the sanity of Lord Byron and Walter Scott. Sir Walter Scott 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 &ndash 21 September 1832 was a prolific Scottish Historical novelist and Poet popular throughout "^[57]

D. C. Williams (1899-1983) said that Blake was a romantic with a critical view on the world, he maintained that Blake's Songs of Innocence were made as a view of an ideal, somewhat Utopian view whereas he used the Songs of Experience in order to show the suffering and loss posed by the nature of society and the world of his time. 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 Utopia is a name for an ideal community taken from the title of a book written in 1516 by Sir Thomas More describing a fictional Island in 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

Blake in popular culture

Main article: William Blake in popular culture

In addition to his influence on writers and artists, Blake's role as a song-writer and as an exponent of sexual and imaginative freedom have made him an influential figure in popular culture, especially since the 1960s. Blake]]'s body of work has significantly impacted countless writers poets and painters and his legacy is often apparent in modern popular culture Far more than any other canonical writer his songs have been set and adapted by popular musicians including Billy Bragg, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Mike Westbrook, U2, Van Morrison, Nick Drake, Jah Wobble, Tangerine Dream, Bruce Dickinson, David Axelrod , Mark E. Smith , Kathleen Yearwood and Ulver. Stephen William Bragg (born December 20, 1957 in Essex, England) better known as Billy Bragg, is an English musician who Emerson Lake & Palmer ( ELP) were an English Progressive rock supergroup. Michael John David 'Mike' Westbrook (born March 21, 1936 in High Wycombe) is a highly successful British Jazz Pianist, George Ivan Morrison OBE (generally known as Van Morrison) (born 31 August 1945 is a Grammy Award -winning Northern Irish Singer, Nicholas Rodney Drake (19 June 1948 – 25 November 1974 was an English Singer-songwriter and Musician best known for his acoustic autumnal songs Jah Wobble (born John Wardle, in Stepney in 1958 is an English Bass guitarist singer Poet and Composer. Tangerine Dream is a German Electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. Paul Bruce Dickinson (born 7 August 1958 in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England) is a British singer Airline pilot, radio show David Axelrod may refer to David Axelrod (musician (born 1936 David Axelrod (political consultant David B Mark Edward Smith (born 5 March 1957) is the Lead singer, Lyricist, Frontman, and sole constant member of English Ulver ( Norwegian for “ wolves ” is a multi-disciplinary musical trio from Norway. Folk musicians have adapted his work, and figures such as Bob Dylan and Allen Ginsberg have been influenced by him. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Irwin Allen Ginsberg (ˈgɪnzbɝg (June 3 1926 &ndash April 5 1997 was an American Poet. The genre of the graphic novel traces its origins to Blake's etched songs and Prophetic Books. A ^[58] Abstract painter Ronnie Landfield dedicated a painting to Blake [1] in the late 1960s. Ronnie Landfield (born January 9, 1947 in The Bronx, New York) is an American Abstract painter. Children's author Maurice Sendak and exponents such as Grant Morrison, Robert Crumb, and J.M. DeMatteis have all cited Blake as one of their major inspirations. Maurice Bernard Sendak (born June 10, 1928, in Brooklyn New York) is an American Writer and Illustrator of Children's literature Grant Morrison (born January 31 1960 is a Scottish Comic book writer and artist Robert Dennis Crumb (born August 30, 1943) often credited simply as R John Marc DeMatteis (born December 15 1953) is an American Writer of Comic books.

Bibliography

On Blake

References

Secondary Sources

• This article incorporates public domain text from: Cousin, John William (1910). The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature. A Short Biographical Dictionary of English Literature is a collection of biographies of writers by John William Cousin (1849-1910 published in 1910 London, J. M. Dent & sons; New York, E. P. Dutton.

External links

• Works by William Blake at Project Gutenberg
• The William Blake Archive, a hypermedia archive sponsored by the Library of Congress and supported by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works
• Tate's online resource on William Blake with notes for teachers
• See Blake's notebook online using the British Library's Turning the Pages system (requires Shockwave).
• Contents, The Complete Poetry and Prose of William Blake edited by David V. Erdman
• An Archive of an Exhibit of his Work at the National Gallery of Victoria
• Introduction to The Drawings and Engravings of William Blake, by Laurence Binyon
• Poetry Archive: 170 poems of William Blake
• Ch'an Buddhism and the Prophetic Poems of William Blake
• A Blake Collector's Vade-Mecum
• William Blake and Visual Culture: A special issue of the journal ImageText
• William Blake Collection at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin