Synopses & Reviews
This new study, explores the connection between religious enthusiasm and empirical science in Blake's early work and the eighteenth century. Green integrates three divergent strands of Blake scholarship: of Blake's relationship with empiricism, his affiliations with radical Protestantism and investigations into his artistic theories and practices. Green concludes his discussion by looking ahead to representations of Blake's thought in Salman Rushdie's
The Satanic Verses.
Synopsis
Incorporating the most recent discoveries concerning Blake's heritage and cultural context, Visionary Materialism in the Early Works of William Blake: The Intersection of Enthusiasm and Empiricism proposes a radical new reading of his early works, that sees them taking enlightenment ideas to heights never dreamed of by Locke and Priestley. Drawing on a careful analysis of key figures from both sides of the enlightenment/counter-enlightenment divide (including Boehme, Swedenborg, the Moravians, Lavater, Brothers, Erasmus Darwin), the discussion traces an alternative tradition that disrupts previous assumptions about important aspects of Blake's thought.
About the Author
Matthew J. A. Green is Lecturer in English Literature, University of Nottingham.
Table of Contents
Introduction * The Empirical Effect * The Tree of Mystery * The Spiritual Substance * He Conversed with Angels * The Ark of God * Bodies of God * Index