William Blake: A Study of His Works & Writing Advice

“Art can never exist without naked beauty displayed.” - William Blake

In an ironic reflection of his words, William Blake’s art did indeed exist with a naked sort of beauty displayed in it. He is one of the most lauded and seminal figures in the realm of poetry and visual art in the Romantic Era– a painter, poet, illustrator, and printmaker all in one, yet his life from 1757-1827 was one of largely obscurity, and his success was seen mostly after his death. Blake spent almost his entire life (save three years) in the city of London, the same place he was born, but he was highly influenced by the turbulent and oft-changing times in which lived, which encompassed both the French and American Revolutions, and was a deeply, deeply personal writer. He was a rather unconventional writer, which partially accounts for his lack of popularity during his life, but today, however, William Blake has been called one of the greatest Britons to ever live, one of the most influential writers and figures of the Romantic Period, and a master of the English language, which we will discuss his impact on further.

William Blake: a Brief History

William Blake was born on the 28th of November 1757 in Soho, London, to parents of moderate to comfortable income. His childhood education ended at age ten, after he had learned to read and write, and following this he took up the art of engraving, which he went on to become an apprentice for in August of 1772. However, he studied an older, out-of-style type of engraving that most likely contributed to his lack of success, but nonetheless greatly contributed to and perhaps set the foundations for his creative endeavors.

Christianity and the Bible had a profound effect on Blake, with him reporting multiple times throughout his life that he’d had spiritual visions of or encounters with figures of the Bible, which also greatly impacted his work and its focus, but he was nonetheless a fierce critic of organized religion. Sharing a number of views deemed as radical for the time, such as sexual equality and women’s agency, he quickly fell in with like-minded visionaries when he returned to school after many years in October 1779 at the Royal Academy in Somerset. There he was a great challenger of the philosophies and artistic judgements of the president, which surely did not aid in his career success either.

Blake’s first book of poems, Poetical Sketches, was published in 1783 to little fuss and a lackluster reception, and a year later he opened a printing shop with his former fellow engraving apprentice. They worked with a radical publisher who brought them into another circle of unconventional thinkers to rub elbows with, such as Thomas Paine, Joseph Priestly, and Mary Wollenstonecraft.

Blake’s etching, printing, and illustrating continued over the rest of his life before his death, at which point he had had no significant creative success. In the modern era, however, he is thought of as a top-shelf creative and a great signifier of the Romantic Period.

Writing Style

William Blake has long been posthumously praised for the lyricism, mysticism, and prophetization of his poetry. Lyricism refers to a poet revealing their thoughts and personal conceptions about the world, which perhaps is the greatest and most accurate descriptor one could apply to William Blake. His work often revolved around religion or his personal ideologies and are notably deeply personal and unique to him as an individual, which will be elaborated on further later in the article.

Blake wrote in several styles or formats of poetry, all of which are said to have been greatly demonstrative of the English Romantic aesthetics of the time, including free verse, prose, sonnet-inspired, lyric, and narrative poetry. He even called some of his poems songs, referencing their masterful rhythmicity and flow. He also created illuminated manuscripts and books, which are texts that have their borders decorated and embellished, sometimes with miniature illustrations.

The Songs of Innocence and Experience

The Songs of Innocence is a collection of poems and illustrations first published in 1789, before it was republished several years later with a set of new poems as Songs of Innocence and of Experience Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul. The first part of the collection, Songs of Innocence, has themes primarily surrounding, well, just that: innocence, along with strong undertones of religiosity, as much of Blake’s work does. The second set, Songs of Experience, addresses the opposite side of the coin of innocence– the darker parts of life. Today they are lauded for their simplicity yet absolute depth in theme and exploration, along with their lyrical style, and many – many – of them have been set to song in the modern era.

The start of the collection is the “Introduction,” which introduces the poems as coming from a piper for children and describes them as sweet and pleasant verses. However, the second half of the songs, the ones of experience rather than innocence, have a jarring and assertive juxtaposition to this. One of the most famous and treasured songs of the collection is “The Lamb,” which centers around a conversation between a young boy and his lamb and has religious undertones. Another prominently discussed song from the collection is "The Chimney Sweeper,” which addresses the harsh conditions faced by child chimney sweepers in London during the time and the contrast between the innocence of children and the intrinsically exploitative nature of society. "Nurse's Song" is also a much-lauded song; two versions of it exist, but both depict a nurse watching over children playing in a meadow, highlighting the idyllically carefree nature of childhood.

The Songs of Innocence and Experience remains significant in the literary sphere and is an especially important addition to the English Romantic catalog, lauded for the thematic depth it boasts, and the conceptual work of exploring the states of innocence and experience.

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, composed in the period between 1790 and 1793, is a Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost-inspired work that addresses and challenges traditional views of good and evil, Heaven and Hell, and the nature of human existence. It is part of a series by Blake known as the prophetic books, and the complete series carries a complex system of thought and conceptions that expresses Blake's personal mythology and mystical beliefs. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a prime example of Blake's embracing of the Romantic spirit, and it was greatly influenced by the Romantic ideals of individualism, imagination, and the rejection of rigid societal structures.

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is structured as a series of short aphoristic texts, each accompanied by original illustrations. In them Blake addresses his disagreement with the current understanding of good and evil, etc., describing an envisioned universe in which heaven and hell are “married,” coexisting in the world. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell also critiques social and political institutions of the time, particularly the oppressive nature of organized religion and the constraints placed on individual creativity and expression, which was no topic of surprise from Blake. The work itself clearly expresses Blake’s view that the repressive aspects of society are reflective of a limited, unrealistic, and restrictive view of reality.

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell had a limited impact during Blake's lifetime, however, in the 1900s, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell gained recognition and admiration for its bold ideas, unique style, and its anticipation of later philosophical and literary movements. It continues to fascinate scholars and readers interested in the intersections of literature, philosophy, and art today.

Milton

Milton: A Poem in Two Books, or more commonly referred to as Milton, was published in 1804, and is one of Blake's most important works of his series of prophetic books. Milton is a highly symbolic and visionary exploration of the life, works, and legacy of the English poet John Milton, author of Paradise Lost, which had served Blake as inspiration earlier in his life. It is not a straightforward biography of Milton in the traditional style, but rather a reimagining and reinterpretation of his life and ideas; it delves into themes of creativity, spirituality, and the struggle for artistic and intellectual freedom, and explores the notion that Milton, through his writings, tapped into a higher realm of inspiration or divine insight. Many critics and literary scholars consider Milton to be a continuation of Blake's earlier work, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, as it extends the exploration of contraries and the dynamic tension between opposites.

The book describes a meeting between William Blake and Milton, who returns from Heaven to explore the relationship between living writers and their predecessors, and to undergo a mystical journey to correct his own spiritual errors. One of the key artistic undertakings of the novel is personifying reason, law, creativity, and imagination with the characters Urizen and Los, respectively, which has been much discussed amongst scholars. The book itself acts as something of a method for Blake to express his views on the nature of creativity, the limitations of conventional religion, and the potential for transcendent experience, and it also expresses, ironically enough, a critique and response to Milton’s own writings, which Blake viewed some of the ideas from as restrictive and dogmatic.

Milton is considered one of Blake's most challenging and complex works. Its intricate symbolism and layered meanings have led to various interpretations from scholars and readers, and the depths of Blake's vision and its implications for understanding art, spirituality, and the human condition are continuously explored further by academics today.

William Blake’s Legacy

While Blake's work received limited recognition during his lifetime, especially in the late 18th century, he has since become a central figure in the fields of literature, art, and philosophy. His influence on literature and his legacy have been profound, extending far beyond his own time.

For one, Blake's innovative approach to combining poetry with original artwork in his illuminated manuscripts has had a lasting impact. His integration of visual and literary elements has inspired artists and writers across various mediums in the centuries since Blake’s first publishings, contributing to a broader understanding of the interconnectedness of art forms. Romantic poets, such as William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, were influenced by Blake's emphasis on the subjective experience and the power of the human mind. Artists like Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, T.S. Eliot, and Jim Morrison have cited Blake as an influence as well.

His prophetic books, including The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, paved the way for later writers who sought to convey complex ideas through symbolic and visionary language, and in fact, Blake’s influence can be owed much of the exploration of personal mythologies and mysticism in English literature now. Blake’s deep dive into the theme of contraries, as well, had a profound impact on English literature. Writers of the modern era who delve into the complexities of human nature, duality, and opposing forces often find inspiration in Blake's early exploration.

In all, William Blake's contributions to the Romantic movement, his innovative blending of art and poetry, and his challenging of established norms left an indelible mark on subsequent generations of writers, artists, and thinkers, as well as English literature as a whole. His work continues to be studied, interpreted, and celebrated today for its visionary spirit and its exploration of the complexities of the human condition, and few people outrank him in English Romance poetry and literature.

William Blake’s Writing Advice & What We Can Take from His Craft

William Blake’s writing put a clear emphasis on the personal, the exploratory, and the unconventional. If Blake were alive today, he would most likely tell us not to be afraid to write about the inconceivable, the rarely considered, and what people may dismiss as too rooted in tradition to be upheaved. He was a visionary, someone largely seen as ahead of his time, and he acts as proof that the most complex topics or thoughts can and should be conveyed by writers, despite how intimidating a task or untimely a concept it might seem.

He also serves the modern writer as a textbook case of a lack of prehumous success not being any type of indication of one’s ability or skill. During his life, he was repeatedly dismissed, overlooked, or shut down, and yet today he is remembered as one of the most celebrated poets and illustrators of his time. William Blake kept writing his entire life, despite the little recognition it gained for him while he was still on this Earth, and the English literary sphere is all the better for it.