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Revision:Blake's Life

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Blake’s Life (1757 – 1827)

  • Went to drawing school, student at royal academy
  • Self- taught, an autodidact
  • Relied on Bible and Milton (saw as his predecessor) – Milton politically a revolutionary, while justifying the ways of God to man, he justified Satan’s rebellion against tyranny (Blake also thought repression breed revolution, as Freud said a century earlier)
  • Lived nearly all life in London
  • Limits of birth and death, trade and marriage
  • Unremitting labour for small return
  • Closest to youngest brother but he died – Robert also saw visions and wanted to be an artist – conversed ‘in the spirit’
  • Hated restraint and authority – parents ambiguous: dad gave money for artist ambitions. Parents disapproved of marriage to ‘servant’ class Catherine
  • Claimed to have visions, eccentric, did not publish poems in ordinary way by having them printed, but instead engraved them
  • Taught to read and write at home
  • Critics: Blake’s visions were way of explaining a new idea or insight or clinical psychology explanation ‘eidetic imagery’ Peter Ackroyd
  • Visions were perceptive and intelligent revelations and he had continuous awareness of his surroundings when having them
  • Then were common, not signs of mental illness: London had lots of groups of religious and political enthusiasts
  • Few object that he saw visions, just what he saw
  • Too individual to join in organisations
  • Read Swedenborg, Swedish spiritual philosopher – but left this recognised church when it become trapped by organised religion
  • Blake had outrage for injustice and cruelty
  • Met many radicals (republican writer Paine, radical bookseller Joseph Johnson) – but most of his social action was independent of any organisation
  • Political views more radical than most of his contemporaries’
  • Part of well-off circle for a while, sang his lyrics in Reverend Mathew’s drawing room
  • Blake not politically active himself – sympathetic to American and French revolutions and to spirit of freedom
  • Christian in the Dissenting tradition
  • Met Varley, a painter
  • “The Ancients” group adopted Blake as master of these artists
  • Some long lasting friendship – Henry Fuseli (more successful £)
  • Thomas Butts helped Blake financially (struggle for commission)
  • Attacked a soldier (let off), shouts of damning King and country


Comments

These notes are aimed at A Level English Literature students at A2 level.

Originally written by Lucy2 on TSR Forums.

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