The life, times, and major works of William Blake - Research Paper Example

Literature The Life, Times and Major Works of William Blake Although he was one of the greatest artists and poets of theromantic era, William Blake is regarded as the most misunderstood poet of his time. Besides being a poet, he was also a very spiritual person, who believes he saw a variety of biblical visions as early as 4 years. William Blake was mostly homeschooled by his mother, who used the bible as a very pivotal source of education for the young poet (Rowland 142). The exceptionality was highly considerable, since, by the age of 10, he was already an exceptional artist, having been enrolled at the Henry Pars drawing school. By the age of 14, Blake had graduated from mere art to being an engraver, after which he was sent to Westminster Abbey to design tombs and historical monuments, where he developed a passion for gothic art, soon to be his defining artistry. Blake was not largely recognized in his time, but he is currently one of the most respected poets, painters and printmakers. In London, his prophetic poetry serves as a schooling tool for most literature classes. His art too has been an inspiration piece which has led a variety of critics to believe that Blake was probably the best artist that London had ever presented. Born in Soho, London in November 28, 1757 Blake started to develop skills for his passion at an early age. By the age of 22, Blake had already enrolled at the Royal Academy School (Brylowe 90). Blake left school at the tender age of 10 and begun pursuing poetry. By 12 years, he had started selling his collection of poetry titled "poetic sketches," which he sold to his friends. One of the greatest influences in Blake’s life was James Bashire, who taught him how to engrave and this became his preferred engraving as compared to poetry, despite the fact that he still engaged in poetry majorly. He wrote and painted for enjoyment, as a hobby, but primarily he made a living from engraving. In 1782, Blake married Catherine Boucher, who has the daughter of a local market gardener, and who was, unlike him, illiterate (William-Blake.Org “William Blake Biography"). By 1784, he had managed to create a workshop where he engraved as a full time profession while he still maintained writing poetry as a distant passion. In the same year he still managed to create one of the most exceptional pieces, "Island in the Moon." Each artist has a turning point and for Blake was the death of his brother. Robert, Blake’s brother died from tuberculosis in 17877, and during his death, allegedly Blake saw his brother’s spirit rise through the ceiling joyously. This event would soon shape his poetry from the common poetry which he wrote, to gothic pieces. His first book after the reshaping of his style was the "songs of Innocence in 1788, which contained deeper meanings as compared to his usual poetry. This piece also covered the issue of death, having gone through a tragic life, which was uncommon for poets and authors to incorporate their emotional issues in a new piece. Between 1790 and 1793 Blake completed one of his most deep pieces, "The Book of Thel" whose wording was mainly developed to get the desired effect he intended from his audience. After the completion of the book the author also wrote a highly controversial piece "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell," whose prophetic aspect led to it being viewed as a controversial piece. From the gothic and prophetic aspect, Blake ventured into writing about social injustices, which motivated him to write the fourth publication "Songs of Experience" in 1794 (Bio "William Blake Biography"). Songs of Experience not only concentrated on the social injustices in the world but also largely focused on the political philosophies and views that Blake held, as well as addressing the issue of poverty which he faced during his lifetime. The economic issues, the wars that were looming with the establishment of the French Revolution and the American Revolution and the overall involvement of UK in the matter, were some of the social issues he addressed. The author also focused on the issue of war and politics, assessing its impacts on the people of London and the respective worlds. Additionally, this is the piece that has been acclaimed by most authors and critics as the source of Blake’s maturity as a poet and publisher. Unlike most authors who address the social and political issues in the society as a way to appeal to their readers, Blake had developed a hatred and resentment for politics so much at one time it landed him in trouble. In 1800, after he had begun painting using watercolor, William Hayley invited Blake to Felpham to work as his protégé, an offer that Blake readily accepted. However, the relationship between these two exceptional poets turned soar during their time working together. In 1803, Blake landed himself in trouble after he found a soldier by their house and demanded that he left the premises, owing to the hatred that he had for the political world. He physically pushed the soldier out, who then claimed that Blake had assaulted him, and even accused the poet of sedition. However, William Hayley hired a lawyer who had Blake Acquitted from all his charges in 1804, after which Blake and his wife moved back to London. When he was back to London, Blake commenced a project writing about various gothic poems which are viewed as some of his most ambitious work, yet some of the greatest criticized works in the history of his poetry. "Jerusalem” was the title of the book, which was reviewed negatively with one of the reviewers terming Blake as Lunatic (BIO "William Blake Biography"). With the poet being one of the most sensitive authors of his time, Blake went into depression after the reading the review. With the notion that people did not pay attention to his works, Blake slowly drifted from the field. He primarily engaged in engraving on a small scale but not as professionally as he previously did. This led the poet deeper into poverty. From 1809 to 1818, the poet was in a state of latency, and very few if any of his works were published during this period. However, 1819 was his year of revival. From this year to 1825, the poet compiled a list of visionary poems totaling up more than 100 pieces. During this period, he composed some exceptional visionary headers such as "The Man who built the Pyramids" and "The Ghost of a Flea" (Poem Hunter " William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827 / London)"). Additionally, the poet also focused more of his energy on engraving, where he ventured into the engraving for the Book of Job and an agreed 102 engravings for "Inferno" by Dante. However, the project was not completed, since Blake died in 1827, at the age of 70 years. However, in the last eight years of his life, the poet, author and painter completed a number of works, which deemed the era his most productive period. Balakian (1956) argues that if the poet had been born in France and not London, he would have been a perfect fit (p261). Balakian even terms the fact that he was British as tragic, arguing that his style would have worked perfectly with the French poetry revolution that was going on at the same time. Additionally, Blake has been an inspiration to most gothic poets and authors of the contemporary society. His first works being used in the university curriculum was first introduced to university by a professor, Pierre Berger, who cited the author in his thesis, a move that saw the entire literature industry grow a desire to study the underappreciated poet. Pierre introduced the author as exceptional back in 1907, and after the First World War, with most of his works relating to the war and its impact on the contemporary society, the consumption of William Blake’s work in universities grew marginally. During 1937, an exhibit dedicated to William Blake popularized his biblical works in the Bibliotheque Nationale segment presented by Franco-Britannique. His works are categorized in a similar manner as Edgar Allan Poe’s pieces, Dante’s works and other exceptional gothic writers who came before and after Blake’s time. After the Second World War, Blake’s works popularity rose marginally which has led to the acclamation of the author as one of the best gothic poets in the British list of poets. Balakian argues that Blakes poetry should not be used majorly in class, since most critics presented his works as confused. As such, despite the appreciation one has for the Poet, forcing the content on student who might hold similar views could have detrimental effects. As such, despite how much his works mean to many professors, the selectivity of a majority of them is founded on the critics’ comments on the works presented by the poet. However, the final run of the author, his final productive decade presented a variety of high quality, appreciable and impressive pieces which are valued to date. Blake’s works have also inspired a variety of other contemporary authors and also authors from the previous generation. In M. Williams’ (2009) review of Blake’s works, the author presents a case where he analyzes the works of William Blake to have had a significant influence on Aldous Huxley. Huxley composed a piece, “The Doors of Perception" in 1954, whose title is based on William Blake’s comment in "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell." The statement siphoned for the title states that If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is: infinite (Williams 41). Williams also argues that Blake’s works were not only exceptional, but the values presented by the author are applicable even in the modern day context. Williams presents a proposition that Blake was civilized, and his emphasis on civilization called for harmony and completeness. Blake not only inspired one of Huxley’s works but a couple. Another work that, according to Williams, Huxley excerpted and modified from Blake’s work was the 1963 best seller "Literature and Science." Huxley’s inspiration from the author has been derived from a number of areas which include Jerusalem. The author, Williams, further indicates a number of similarities between Blake and Huxley, listing the similarities in their worldview, the content of literature and the gothic approach to a number of things. Regardless, Huxley’s work were not majorly centered on the Biblical and supernatural aspect that Blake finds pride in but rather concentrates on his gothic approach, his worldview on war and politics and his levels of civilization, in the eyes of authors who did not view him as a lunatic. Hopkins (2009) views some of the gothic poems presented by Blake as a cry for women who were under serious oppression during his time. Unlike most authors, Blake emphasized on feminism indirectly through indicating how much the women were chained and in pain during his time (Hopkins 39). In this piece Hopkins reviews the prophetic aspect of his works which are largely ignored by most reviewers and authors arguing that Blake saw a time when women would be treated equally as the men, or a time when women did not have to suffer or be in pain. Hopkins further explores the deeper content presented in "The Book of Thel" which primarily focused on the superficial nature of the world, which led to the overlooking of Thel’ true beauty. This is a similar prophetic approach to the common world where women are not only objectified, but due to conformation to the superficial nature of the society, appreciating their own beauty is increasingly difficult. In this context, Blake had somewhat prophesied how the future world was going to be, with Thel being the representation of the contemporary woman and her place in the society. Hopkins’ analysis of most of Blake’s works is centered on religious ethics that the poet engraved in most of his poems. Works Cited Balakian, Anna. "The Literary Fortune of William Blake in France (Book)." Modern Language Quarterly 17.3 (1956): 261. Print. BIO. "William Blake." 2014. The Biography.com. Web. Apr 24 2014 Brylowe, Thora. "Of Gothic Architects and Grecian Rods: William Blake, Antiquarianism and The History of Art." Romanticism 18.1 (2012): 89-104. Print. Hopkins, Steven P. "“I Walk Weeping in Pangs of a Mothers Torment for her Children”: Womens Laments In The Poetry And Prophecies Of William Blake." Journal of Religious Ethics 37.1 (2009): 39-81. Print. M. Williams, Nicholas. "‘The Sciences of Life’: Living Form in William Blake and Aldous Huxley." Romanticism 15.1 (2009): 41-53. Print. Poem Hunter. “William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827 / London)" Poet Hunter, 2014. Web. Apr 24 2014. < http://www.poemhunter.com/william-blake/biography/> Rowland, Christopher. "Blake and the Bible: Biblical Exegesis in the Work of William Blake." International Journal of Systematic Theology 7.2 (2005): 142-154. Print. WilliamBlake.Org. "William Blake Biography". William Blake: The Complete Works, 2002-2014. Web. April 24, 2014. Read More