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The Illuminated Books of William Blake, Volume 3: The Early Illuminated Books
The core of William Blake's vision, his greatness as one of the British Romantics, is most fully expressed in his Illuminated Books, masterworks of art and text intertwined and mutually enriching. Made possible by recent advances in printing and reproduction technology, the publication of new editions of Jerusalem and Songs of Innocence and of Experience in 1991 was a major publishing event. Now these two volumes are followed by The Early Illuminated Books and Milton, A Poem . The books in both volumes are reproduced from the best available copies of Blake's originals and in faithfulness and accuracy match the acclaimed standards set by Jerusalem and Songs . These two volumes are uniform in format and binding with the first two volumes.
The Early Illuminated Books comprises All Religions Are One and There Is No Natural Religion ; Thel ; Marriage of Heaven and Hell ; and Visions of the Daughters of Albion . Milton, A Poem , second only to Jerusalem in extent and ambition, is accompanied by Laocoön , The Ghost of Abel , and On Homer's Poetry .
The Early Illuminated Books comprises All Religions Are One and There Is No Natural Religion ; Thel ; Marriage of Heaven and Hell ; and Visions of the Daughters of Albion . Milton, A Poem , second only to Jerusalem in extent and ambition, is accompanied by Laocoön , The Ghost of Abel , and On Homer's Poetry .
286 pages, Hardcover
First published August 31, 1993
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About the author
William Blake
1,248 books3,221 followersWilliam Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised 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". His visual artistry has led one modern critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced." Although he only once travelled any further than a day's walk outside London over the course of his life, his creative vision engendered a diverse and symbolically rich corpus, which embraced 'imagination' as "the body of God", or "Human existence itself".
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", for its largely having appeared in the 18th century. Reverent of the Bible but hostile to the established Church, Blake was influenced by the ideals and ambitions of the French and American revolutions, as well as by such thinkers as Emanuel Swedenborg.
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", "a man not forestalled by predecessors, nor to be classed with contemporaries, nor to be replaced by known or readily surmisable successors."
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". His visual artistry has led one modern critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced." Although he only once travelled any further than a day's walk outside London over the course of his life, his creative vision engendered a diverse and symbolically rich corpus, which embraced 'imagination' as "the body of God", or "Human existence itself".
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", for its largely having appeared in the 18th century. Reverent of the Bible but hostile to the established Church, Blake was influenced by the ideals and ambitions of the French and American revolutions, as well as by such thinkers as Emanuel Swedenborg.
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", "a man not forestalled by predecessors, nor to be classed with contemporaries, nor to be replaced by known or readily surmisable successors."
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 23, 2009
[All Religions Are One / There Is No Natural Religion:]
It's hard to see much of anything here, but these little works form the backbone of the first section of Frye's Fearful Symmetry: "The Argument." That is one of the best things ever written about anything, and makes reading these plates worth it.
[The Book of Thel:]
My interpretation, which I haven't seen elsewhere, is pretty simple.
This book opens with Thel's Motto: "Does the Eagle know what is in the pit, / Or wilt thou go ask the Mole? ..."
Thel is a young shepherdess who is lamenting the fact of her mortality. She is offered solace by, in turn, a lily, a cloud, a mute ("in-fantis") worm in the form of a baby, and a clod of clay, which appears at the end to comfort and speak for the worm. They all offer variations on the notion of a Cycle of Life, becoming food for worms is a wonderful thing to become, etc.
Of course, they're all alive, so what do they know of death? ("Does the Eagle know what is in the pit"?)
In the final plates, the Clod invites Thel to view the underworld of death (mole) and it's horrid: "A land of sorrows & of tears where never smile was seen." The solace provided by the Cycle of Life sophistry is undone, instantly, by the reality of death. As Odysseus famously puts it (in Chapman's version, the one Blake knew):
I rather wish to live in earth a swain,
Or serve a swain for hire, that scarce can gain
Bread to sustain him, than, that life once gone,
Of all the dead sway the imperial throne. (Ody., XI.643-6)
This seems closer to Blake's view than the Cycle of Life silliness, despite the fact that the bulk of the work is given over to those explanations and evasions. The real power comes in the section refuting them, and this sort of dialectic — between, say, "innocence" and "experience" — is not otherwise unknown in Blake's poetry.
[The Marriage of Heaven and Hell:]
...
[Visions of the Daughters of Albion:]
...
It's hard to see much of anything here, but these little works form the backbone of the first section of Frye's Fearful Symmetry: "The Argument." That is one of the best things ever written about anything, and makes reading these plates worth it.
[The Book of Thel:]
My interpretation, which I haven't seen elsewhere, is pretty simple.
This book opens with Thel's Motto: "Does the Eagle know what is in the pit, / Or wilt thou go ask the Mole? ..."
Thel is a young shepherdess who is lamenting the fact of her mortality. She is offered solace by, in turn, a lily, a cloud, a mute ("in-fantis") worm in the form of a baby, and a clod of clay, which appears at the end to comfort and speak for the worm. They all offer variations on the notion of a Cycle of Life, becoming food for worms is a wonderful thing to become, etc.
Of course, they're all alive, so what do they know of death? ("Does the Eagle know what is in the pit"?)
In the final plates, the Clod invites Thel to view the underworld of death (mole) and it's horrid: "A land of sorrows & of tears where never smile was seen." The solace provided by the Cycle of Life sophistry is undone, instantly, by the reality of death. As Odysseus famously puts it (in Chapman's version, the one Blake knew):
I rather wish to live in earth a swain,
Or serve a swain for hire, that scarce can gain
Bread to sustain him, than, that life once gone,
Of all the dead sway the imperial throne. (Ody., XI.643-6)
This seems closer to Blake's view than the Cycle of Life silliness, despite the fact that the bulk of the work is given over to those explanations and evasions. The real power comes in the section refuting them, and this sort of dialectic — between, say, "innocence" and "experience" — is not otherwise unknown in Blake's poetry.
[The Marriage of Heaven and Hell:]
...
[Visions of the Daughters of Albion:]
...
June 16, 2008
"All Religions Are One" and "There Is No Natural Religion"--read this in a college class taught by Leslie Norris (Poet Laureate of Wales). One of the most spiritually moving experiences I have ever had reading a book that wasn't "scripture". Very significant to me.
November 30, 2008
Like all editions in this series, this edition provides a beautiful full color representation of one copy of the works represented in this volume (with some smaller reproductions of other copies in an appendix). Blake's work is accompanied by useful commentary and annotations.
November 30, 2008
As usual for books in this series, attractive full size and full color reproduction of the early Illuminated books with useful notes and annotations.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews