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Fearful Symmetry: A Study of William Blake
Though it was written in the 1940s, Northrop Frye's Fearful Symmetry is arguably still the most comprehensive--and comprehensible--book on William Blake. Despite the bewildering complexity of much of the work of this 18th century "visionary" poet and painter, Blake remains perennially popular. And though Frye warns against assuming that any poet writes "with...more
Paperback, 472 pages
Published
April 1st 1969
by Princeton University Press
(first published 1947)
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Well... this book is alternately fascinating and frustrating, a long, discursive summary of "Blake's thought" as Frye sees it. Because of how labrynthine and involuted Blake's writing was - especially in the prophetic books - there are necessarily quite a few 25-30 page sections of pure summary, things like "Urothria is the son of Spooptapulus, wife of Borg, which means that the artistic imagination reigns supreme in the third dyad, blah blah blah." I just made those names up...more
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James
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Any reader of Blake.
Recommended to James by:
Professor.
Shelves:
blake,
literary-criticism
One of the two seminal works on Blake in the twentieth century, the second being Erdman's Prophet Against Empire. Frye's study of Blake led to his Anatomy of Criticism, a defining work within literary criticism in English. Frye's work is a study of Blake's symbols, approaching Blake's work as myth (as opposed to Erdman's, who reads Blake's work historically). It's still an excellent work for someone first venturing in to Blake's labyrinthine prophet works.
An excellent book about Blake's theories and concerns. If your thinking about trying to make sense of his intense poetic visions, this is a good place to start.
Frye offers up a compelling interpretation of the entire corpus of Blake's work. If you love Blake, you will love Fearful Symmetry.
John
marked it as to-read
Don't let anyone tell you that you'll never read one of the books that has sat for decades on your shelves unread. I'm now reading Northrop Frye's Fearful Symmetry, a study of William Blake's poerty, the very same copy that I bought about 40 years ago, and have been lugging about for just as long in the clear and unremitting anticipation that one day I would actually read it. And so I am. I'll report later whether it was worth the wait.
This is a profound work of criticism, the subject being the life work of William Blake. It's very unusual in its poetic and visionary content. This is a very far out book, which altered my conceptions of Blake, as well as the Bible, and world history.
Northrop Frye is one of those amazing literary critics no one's ever heard of. I first discovered him when handed a collection of lectures he gave on canadian radio. This is a very astute reading of Blake.
Just brushing up on Blake for my Blake seminar. Deep work.
Among the three books of prose about poetry essential to me.
Love it! Frye is brilliant in his specific criticism.
best book i have read about Blake
Holly
marked it as to-read
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Born in Quebec but raised in New Brunswick, Frye studied at the University of Toronto and Victoria University. He was ordained to the ministry of the United Church of Canada and studied at Oxford before returning to UofT.
His first book, Fearful Symmetry, was published in 1947 to international acclaim. Until then, the prophetic poetry of William Blake had long been poorly understood, co...more
More about Northrop Frye...
His first book, Fearful Symmetry, was published in 1947 to international acclaim. Until then, the prophetic poetry of William Blake had long been poorly understood, co...more
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