Concetti Chiave
- William Blake was born in London in 1757 to a humble family and remained poor throughout his life, deeply affected by the industrial revolution's impact on the human spirit.
- Blake believed in the transformative role of the artist as a guardian of spirit and imagination, with the Bible being a significant influence on his worldview.
- He broke away from traditional artistic conventions, emphasizing imagination over realism, and drawing inspiration from Michelangelo's influence during his early education.
- As a preromantic poet, Blake rejected neoclassical styles, valuing inner visions over observations of nature in his poetic works.
- His poems, divided into "Songs of Innocence" and "Songs Of Experience," explore themes of childhood innocence and adult pessimism, meant to be read together for a complete perspective on reality.
William Blake's early life
William Blake was born in London in 1757. His origins were humble and he remained poor all his life. He witnessed the evil effects of industrial evolution on man's soul and he thought that the artist should have a new role: he should become the guardian of the spirit and imagination. The most important literary influence was the Bible because it presented a complete vision of the world.
When he was ten years old his father sent him at a drawing school, where he acquired the influence of Michelangelo. Painter were expected to conform to standards of realistic rapresentation and to respect proportions and perspective.
Blake broke withe these conventions and created a new kind of art wich emphasised the power of imagination.
Blake's poetic style
He was a preromatic poet; he rejected the neoclassical literary style and themes.
He stressed the importance of imagination over reason and believed that ideal forms should be created not from observations of nature but from inner visions.
His poems were divided into Songs of Innocence and Songs Of Experience.
The first is in the pastoral mode; the narrator is a shephered; the imagery of the poems is full of lambs, flowers and children. It deals with childhood because he thought that the children was uncorrupted by society and still innocent.
While Songs of Innocence was produced before the outbreak of the French Revolution, Songs of Experience appeared in the period of Terror(1793-1794).
In the Songs of Experience there is a pessimistic view of life.
Blake did not reject the Songs of Innocent shephered, but he created its contrary in the form of the bardwho questions the themes of the previous collection.
These two collection of poems must be read together because "Experience
", identified with adulthood, coexists with and completes "Innocence", thus providing another point of view on reality.
Domande da interrogazione
- What role did William Blake believe artists should play in society?
- How do Blake's "Songs of Innocence" and "Songs of Experience" complement each other?
William Blake believed that artists should serve as guardians of the spirit and imagination, especially in response to the negative effects of industrial evolution on the human soul.
"Songs of Innocence" and "Songs of Experience" are meant to be read together, as they provide contrasting views on reality; "Innocence" represents uncorrupted childhood, while "Experience" offers a more pessimistic view of life, reflecting adulthood.
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