Concetti Chiave
- William Blake, born in London in 1757, was a poet who developed a unique "illuminated printing" technique to reproduce poems and illustrations.
- His notable work "Songs of Innocence" and "Songs of Experience" reflects his poetic philosophy of exploring the coexistence of opposites.
- Blake emphasized not just the meaning but also the sound of words, using simple vocabulary and musical elements like assonance and alliteration.
- He was a precursor to the Romantic Age, advocating that true knowledge arises from the balance of opposing forces.
- The myth of Icarus, a tale of ambition and downfall, is a recurring theme in Blake's exploration of human experiences.
• Blake
What was Blake's early life and work?
He was born in London in 1757 and he didn’t attend a regular cours of studies. He started to write poems in his lifetime but he didn’t publish them. When he died in 1827 he was working on Dante’s Inferno. He created a particular technique called “illuminated printing” that is he reproduced poems and illustrations on copper.
The title of his masterpiece was “Songs of Innocence” and “songs of experience” composed in 1794.
Blake's poetic philosophy
Blake was convinced that not only the meaning of a world was important, but also the sound. He used a simple style and an ordinary vocabulary. He believe in the coexistence of the opposites and he wanted to read a poem taken one from “Songs of innocence” and the other one taken from “Songs of Experience”.
For example he associated the “lamb” to childhood, to innocence; on the contrary he choose the “tiger” to describe manhood, a period in which the man lost his purity.
In his poems he used assonance, alliterations, rhymes and so on to give musicality to his lines.
Blake was a forerunner of Romantic Age, because he believed that to achieve knowledge, it was necessary the coexistence of opposites.
• The myth of Icarus
The myth of Icarus
In Greek mythologies he was the son of Daedalus who built him wax wings to escape from the labyrinth. Unfortunately he flew too near the sun and he fell in Aegean sea.
Domande da interrogazione
- What was unique about Blake's approach to poetry and art?
- How did Blake's work influence the Romantic Age?
Blake developed a distinctive technique called "illuminated printing," which involved reproducing poems and illustrations on copper. This method allowed him to combine visual art with his poetry, creating a unique artistic expression.
Blake was a forerunner of the Romantic Age, as he emphasized the importance of the coexistence of opposites to achieve knowledge. His use of musical elements like assonance, alliteration, and rhyme in his poetry contributed to the Romantic emphasis on emotion and individualism.
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