Blake: Prophet Against Empire

“An unsurpassed account of the historical background—literary, cultural & intellectual as well as political & social—against which Blake worked & to which he responded as engraver, painter & poet.”—English Language Notes
For many years, Blake was seen as a brilliant eccentric on the fringes of English literature & art. In the 20th century, however, he came to be regarded as one of the greatest English poets & painters, one whose insights have profoundly influenced such thinkers as Nietzsche, Freud & D.H. Lawrence. In this volume, a leading Blake scholar shows how the political & social events & movements of the 18th & early 19th centuries influenced or inspired many of his finest poems: “America,” “Europe,” “The Marriage of Heaven & Hell,” “The French Revolution,” “Songs of Innocence & of Experience,” “The Four Zoas” etc. While the poems can be read on many levels, this in-depth critical study demonstrates that much of the strange symbolism of this poetry represents a literary campaign against the political tyranny of the day. For the 3rd edition, Erdman added much new material that came to light after the original publication of the book in 1954. Also included are over 30 illustrations, a Chronology, an Appendix of Additions & Revisions, & other materials. Written for students, scholars & specialists—anyone interested in the relationship of the poet’s extraordinary symbolism & complex thought to the history of his own times—Erdman’s meticulously documented study is the definitive treatment of this aspect of Blake’s work.
“For our sense of Blake in his own times we are indebted to David Erdman more than anyone else.”—Times Literary Supplement.