1、William BlakeWilliam Blake (1757-1827)1. Background2. 3. 4. InfluenceBackgroundvIn the latter half of the 18th century, a new literary movement arose in Europe, called the Romantic Revival. It was marked by a strong protest against the bondage of Classicism, by a recognition of the claims of passion

2、 and emotion, and by a renewed interest in medieval literature. In England, this movement showed itself in the trend of Pre-Romanticism in poetry. William Blake and Robert Burns are the representatives.Blakes life storyvBorn on 28 November, 1757, in London. William Blake, was the son of a London hos

3、ier (襪商). The boy never went to school. He picked up his education as well as he could. His favorite studies in early days were Shakespeare, Milton and Chatterlon. vAt 10, he was sent to drawing school. Then he was sent on apprenticeship with an engraver.vAt his twentieth, he ended his apprenticeshi

4、p and he began graving on his own account.vIn 1782, Blake was married to Catherine Boucher, the daughter of a market gardener.vBetween his 12th and his 20th years he had written poems which later were to be printed under the title of “Poetical Sketches”. He at the same time studied at the Royal Acad

5、emy, where he drew both from the antique and from the living model.v“There Is No Natural Religion” and “All Religions Are one” were written by him in about 1788.vHe wrote poems and printed “The song of Experiences” in 1789 and then etched his earliest “Prophetic Books”, “The Book of Thel”.vDuring th

6、e years 1788-1793 Blake mixed a good deal with the political radicals and the social reformers of the time.vAs early as 1789, Blake wrote “French Revolution” and Prophetic Book”.vIn 1790, “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”.vIn 1793,Blake issued a “Prospectus, To the Public”.vIn 1794, “The Songs of In

7、nocence” was published again, together with “The Songs of Experience” .vIn 1804, Blake started to etch both “Milton” and “Jerusalem”. vDied at home on 12 August, 1827 As a Painter Ancient of daysThe Body of Abel Found by Adam and EveNewtonA Negro hung alive by the ribs to the gallowsAs a Poet Blakes

8、 poetry has generally been divided into two groups: lyrical poems and prophetic Books (1)Lyrical poems: v“Poetical Sketches”.(1783) his earliest poems, full of joy, laughter, love and harmony v “The Songs of Innocence”(1789) present a happy and innocent world, though with its evils and sufferingsv“T

9、he Songs of Experience” (1794) present a world of misery, poverty, disease, war and repression with a melancholy tonePay attention：The Chimney Sweeper is the title of two poems by William Blake, published in Songs of Innocence in 1789 and Songs of Experience in 1794. (2)Prophetic Books contain:vThe

10、Marriage of Heaven and Hell (an expression of Blakes spirit of revolt against oppression Theme: A denial of the authority of injustice) “Tiriel”(1789)v“The Book of Thel”(1789)v“Milton”(1808)v“Jerusalem”(1820) The Emanation of the Giant Albion (1820): his longest illuminated work; expound his theory

11、of Imaginationv“The Ghost of Abel”(1822) His Position in English Literature1. The most extraordinary literary genius of his age 2. A Pre-Romantic or a forerunner of the Romantic poetry of the 19th century 1) His lyrics display all the characteristics of the romantic spirit (natural sentiment & i

12、ndividual originality). 2) He influenced the Romantic poets with recurring themes of good and evil, heaven and hell, knowledge and innocence, and external reality versus inner imaginationvBlake should be remembered chiefly for his “Songs of experience” in which he poured out his bitter social criticism on the reality of his day, but also for the topical references to the fight for the freedom and the expose of tyranny in “ The French Revolution” and “America