Blake Tutorial Notes

8/11/2019 Blake Tutorial Notes

1/11

William Blake

We know relatively little about Blakes life (1757-1827).

He was an engraver by rofession! a oor working-"lass #on$oner.

He was a ra$i"al all %is life! oosing all for&s of aut%ority! rationalis& an$

&aterialis&.

Blake for&e$ art of t%e sa&e "ir"le as Thomas Paine! Mary Wollstonecraft an$

William Godwin.

Blake rovi$e$ illustrations for 'ose% 'o%nsons e$ition of ary Wollstone"rafts

Original Stories from Real Life(171).

*n "ontrast to Wor$swort% %is genius went largely unre"ogni+e$ $uring %is lifeti&e.

Wor$swort% t%oug%t Blake was &a$.

Blake rea$ so&e of Wor$swort%s oetry an$ $i$nt t%ink &u"% of it.

However! %is reutation %as risen al&ost "ontinuously sin"e %is $eat%.

He is one of t%e few eole "onsi$ere$ a great artist an$ a great oet.

,ne of t%e very few w%o fully integrated%is two art for&s.

Innocence & Experience

oti"e t%e (usually o&itte$) subtitle of The Songs of Innocence and of ExperienceShewing1the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul(17/)

- in inno"en"e we look at t%ings freshly

- wit% e0erien"e our er"etion is darkenedby a$ult fears an$ an0ieties (t%e effe"ts of

alienation). We see t%e worl$ &ore $eely but we feel it &ore ainfully.

%e "o&bination &ay lea$ to so&e higher truth.

*nno"en"e "an be reornat any oint in ti&e to rovi$e an alternative to t%e bitterness

an$ oression w%i"% 0erien"e "riti3ues.

4or Blake t%e inno"en"e of a "%il$ "oul$ be suerior to t%e errors of a"3uire$ folly.

But wit%out er"eiving t%e arren world of oppression t%e otentiality of *nno"en"e

"annot be grase$.

1shewing (archaic) s%owing


2/11

Melting !urfaces

Blake in &any senses "onne"ts &ore "losely to &e$iaeval art t%an to %is

"onte&oraries.

His i"tures are mystican$ Gothic(in t%e i"torial sense).

His oe&s are 6illuminated like &e$iaeval &anus"rits.His oetry %as &u"% &ore to $o wit% sermonst%an neo"lassi"al oetry.

t t%e sa&e ti&e %is figures are &us"ular an$ &onu&ental like Michelangelos.

His tetrameter favoure$ in Songs links t%is "olle"tion of oetry to

%y&ns!

nursery rhymesan$

allads.

Blake la"es %i&self s3uarely in t%e popular tradition.

Blake $esigne$ songs to look like a "%il$s i"ture-book.He $i$ t%is to su"ertt%e genre to "%allenge t%ose writers w%ose intention was to

s%ae an$ "ontrol "%il$rens &in$s t%roug% books of 6instru"tion an$ i&rove&ent.

By "ontrast! %e ai&e$ to allow t%e "%il$ (an$ a$ult rea$er) instea$ to engage

imaginati"ely with textsw%i"% were oen-en$e$ an$ un"ertain of referen"e.

%is is Blakes 6infernal method (re"o&&en$e$ in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell)

&elting aarent surfa"es away! an$ $islaying t%e infinite w%i"% was %i$($en)9.

oti"e t%at few of t%e illustrations si&ly s%ow w%at t%e oe&s t%ey a""o&any tell.

:at%er t%ey enter into a $ebate t%is t%e& ro&ting us t%e t%ing furt%er.


3/11

Infant #oy

* %ave no na&e

* a& but two $ays ol$.--

W%at s%all * "all t%ee;

* %ay a& assonance'oy is &y na&e.-- pararhyme

?retty =oy>


4/11

Infant !orrow

y &ot%er groane$! &y fat%er wet!

*nto t%e $angerous worl$ * leat@

Helless! nake$! iing lou$!

#ike a fien$ %i$ in a "lou$. pararhyme


5/11

The Tyger

Blakes est knownoe& wit% t%e ossible e0"etion of 6'erusale&.

*t is rule$ by sy&&etry

sy&&etry between stan$as!sy&&etry between lines! an$

within lines

4or t%is very reason t%e asy&&etry between t%e first an$ last verse 6 could being

rela"e$ by 6dare stan$s out.

oti"e t%at t%e oe& is &a$e u entirely of %uestions.

Here again we "onfront Blakes a&biguity t%at for"es us to interret t%e oe& we are

not tol$ w%at to t%ink! our imaginationis sti&ulate$.

4or instan"e! 6dread in line 12 is a contradictonym(like 6"leave or 6san"tion) it

%as two oosite &eanings (6fearful an$ 6fearso&e).


6/11

Ean t%e artist really fra&e so&et%ing as %ysi"ally alive an$ t%ree-$i&ensional as a

tiger in wor$s or ink;

*n %isD%er fear of trying arallele$ by our fear of t%e beast in t%e $ark;

re t%e starsaban$oning t%eir weaons or $efen$ing t%e&selves in t%e fift% stan+a;

- if you auto&ati"ally t%oug%t t%e stars were %urling t%eir sears! noti"e t%e line fro&Blakes The Four oas! %e stars t%rew $own t%eir sears F fle$ nake$ away.9!

w%i"% is una&biguous.

Ao t%e stars re"ogni+e t%at t%ey cannot competewit% t%e beast t%at 6burns brig%t;

W%o is in controlof t%e oe& t%e artist! Go$! t%e tiger;

W%o smiles;

- if we only %a$ t%e oe& we woul$ say Go$ or t%e artist but in t%e i"ture it is t%e tiger

w%o is s&iling.


7/11

The Metaphorical 'Tiger(

%e 6tyger is "learly not a real tiger in t%at %e is &a$e using very human apparatus

a furna"e! an anvil! a %a&&er an$ a "%ain t%ose of a lacksmith.

*s %e a sy&bol of t%e industrial re"olution;

*s t%e tyger e3uivalent of 2rankenstein(s monster a "reation t%at t%reatens to $estroyits &aker;

*s t%e tyger t%e infantD"reation t%at t%reatens to $estroy its &ot%erD"reator;

Blake saw artisan work su"% as %is own as "reative an$ fulfilling an$

t%e new kin$ of work resulting fro& t%e in$ustrial revolution as 3uite literally soul3

destroying.

Was t%e tyger "reate$ by a ?ro&et%ean figure! "%allenging Go$ an$ t%e stars;

*s t%e tyger t%e "reation of a iltoni"


8/11

!ulimity

look out for 6subli&e an$ 6subli&ity in t%e wor$ $efinition e0er"ise.

$&un$ Burke$istinguis%e$ between t%e subli&e an$ t%e beautiful in% &hilosophical

In'uiry(1757).

Beautyis asso"iate$ wit%

brig%tness!

s&oot%ness an$

s&allness

!ulimityis asso"iate$ wit%

t%e infinite!

solitu$e!

e&tiness!

$arkness!terror!

owerful e&otions!

siritual an$ religious awe! an$

t%e gran$eur of nature.


9/11

Theodicy4

ature! like a work of art! &ust in so&e way "ontain a reflection of its creator.

%e tiger is strikingly beautiful yet also %orrifi" in its "aa"ity for violen"e.

What kind of a God! t%en! "oul$ or woul$ $esign su"% a terrifying beast as t%e tiger;

W%at $oes t%e un$eniable e0isten"e of evil an$ violen"e in t%e worl$ tell us about t%e

nature of Go$;

%e i&agery of firewit% its si&ultaneous "onnotations of

creation!

purification! an$

destruction.

%e seaker stan$s in awe of t%e tiger as a s%eer %ysi"al an$ aest%eti" a"%ieve&ent!

even as %e re"oils in %orror fro& t%e moral implicationsof su"% a "reation@ for t%eoe& a$$resses not only t%e 3uestion of w%o could&ake su"% a "reature as t%e tiger!

but w%o (oulderfor& t%is a"t.

%is is a 3uestion of creati"e responsiilityan$ of will! an$ t%e oet "arefully in"lu$es

t%is &oral 3uestion wit% t%e "onsi$eration of %ysi"al ower.

%e reeate$ use of wor$ t%e 6$are to rela"e t%e "oul$9 of t%e first stan+a intro$u"es

a $i&ension of asiration an$ wilfulnessinto t%e s%eer &ig%t of t%e "reative a"t.

%e erse"tive of e0erien"e in t%is oe& involves a so%isti"ate$ a"knowle$ge&entof w%at is une0lainable in t%e universe.

%e oen awe of The Tyger"ontrasts wit% t%e easy "onfi$en"e! in The Lam)! of a "%il$s

inno"ent fait% in a benevolent universe.

*n"i$entally! The Tygerwas engrave$ on t%e ba"k of t%e copper plateon w%i"% The

Lam)%a$ been et"%e$.

oti"e %owever t%e false $i"%oto&y t%e #a&b &ay reresent t%e benevolent Go$ but

%ow $oes t%e tiger reresent t%e retribution of a =ust Go$;

theodicy t%e roble& of t%e e0isten"e of evil in a worl$ "reate$ by a benevolent! o&niotent Go$.


10/11

The Tyger

yger/> yger> burning brig%t alliteration

*n t%e forests of t%e nig%t! assonance

W%at i&&ortal %an$ or eye

Eoul$ fra&e t%y fearful sy&&etry; alliteration! iam)ic tetrameter

*n w%at $istant $ees or skies assonance! alliteration

Burnt t%e fire of t%ine eyes; assonance

,n w%at wings $are %e aspire5;

W%at t%e %an$ $are sie+e5t%e fire;6

n$ w%at shoulder8!F w%at art!

Eoul$ twist t%e sinewsof t%y %eart; assonance! iam)ic tetrameter

n$ w%en t%y %eart began to beat! pararhyme! iam)ic tetrameter

W%at dread1K%an$; F w%at dreadfeet; polysyndeton

W%at t%e %a&&er; w%at t%e "%ain; polysyndeton

*n w%at furna"e was t%y brain;

W%at t%e anvil; w%at $rea$ gras polysyndeton

Aare its $ea$ly terrors "las; alliteration

W%en t%e stars t%rew $own t%eir sears11! alliteration

n$ watere$ %eaven wit% t%eir tears! alliteration! iam)ic tetrameter

Ai$ %e s&ile %is work to see; alliteration

Ai$ %e w%o &a$e t%e #a&b &ake t%ee; internal rhyme! iam)ic tetrameter

yger> yger> burning brig%t alliteration*n t%e forests of t%e nig%t! assonance

W%at i&&ortal %an$ or eye

Aare fra&e t%y fearful sy&&etry; alliteration! iam)ic tetrameter

/ this spelling of 'tiger( was already old3fashioned* Blake presumaly chose it ecause it looks more

mysterious*5to aspire a. rise u! b. %ave a burning a&bitionCBlake(s spelling of 'sei$e(7the hand that dare seize the firecould e a reference to Prometheus8shoulder (in this context) strengt%

sinews &us"les! ten$ons1Kdread a. fearful. b. fearso&e11threw down their spears a. aban$on ones weaons. b. $efen$ oneself fro& on %ig%


11/11

2orm

%e oe& is "o&rise$ of si0 3uatrains in r%y&e$ "oulets.

Aoes t%e &eter i&itate

t%e hammeringbeat of t%e s&it%y t%at is t%e oe&s "entral i&age ort%e unstoppale ad"ancing tiger;

*t "ertainly i&itates nursery r%y&es

winkle! winkle! little star 'a"k be ni&ble! 'a"k be 3ui"k

How * won$er w%at you are 'a"k! =u& over t%e "an$lesti"k

oti"e %ow Blake e0e"ts us to treat 6fire as two syllables in line C but as a

&onosyllable in line 8.
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Blake Tutorial Notes