TSR Wiki > Study Help > Subjects and Revision > Revision Notes > English > Blake's Life
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
- “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.
