Table of Contents

Chronology; 1. Introduction Morris Eaves; Part I. Perspectives: 2. William Blake and his circle Aileen Ward; 3. Illuminated printing Joseph Viscomi; 4. Blake's language Susan Wolfson; 5. Blake as painter David Bindman; 6. The political aesthetic of the illuminated books Saree Makdisi; 7. Blake and religion Robert Ryan; 8. Blake's politics in history Jon Mee; 9. Blake and Romanticism David Simpson; Part II. Blake's Works: 10. Blake's early works Nelson Hilton; 11. From America to The Four Zoas Andrew Lincoln; 12. Milton and its contexts, 1800–1810 Mary Lynn Johnson; 13. Jerusalem and Blake's final works Robert N. Essick; Appendices; Guides to Further Reading; Glossary of terms, names, and concepts Alexander Gourlay.

Promotional Information

Companion to the work of one of the most admired of English writers and artists.

About the Author

Morris Eaves is Professor of English at the University of Rochester, New York and author of several books and articles on William Blake.

Reviews

'Like other volumes in the Cambridge Companions to Literature series, this collection of essays is designed to be useful for a broad academic audience. It maintains the normally high standards of editing, writing, and scholarship that characterize the series. Eaves provides the introduction, which discusses the difficulties, methods, and rewards of reading Blake's poetical and pictorial works.' T. Hoagwood, Texas A&M University ' ... the present volume is uniformly excellent ... admirable and reliable ... we are enlightened, even inspired, by the ample contents of these deeply illuminating and reflective pages.' Reference Reviews '... the seasoned Blake scholar will find here an up-to-date and well-informed vade-mecum of current scholarly trends which can be put to good use in the classroom, and can also serve the purpose of a handy work of reference ... succinct, erudite, and often enlightening ... keen and stylishly written analysis ... provides a veritable hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxies that are opening up in Blake's writings, a guide which will stand the test of teaching Blake in more than the first decade of the new century.' BARS Bulletin & Review 'The Companion ensures Blake's continual success in teaching lessons in electric mystical thought, in bringing to mind issues of form, perception and creativity in poetic writing ... this is a carefully edited volume offering new and valuable insights into Blake's life and circle as well as into his ways of producing a wide range of innovative techniques in the field of engraving and illustration ...'. Anglia Zeitschrift fur Englische Philologie 'The Cambridge Companion is not for casual reference, but should make a very useful introduction for serious readers.' Essays in Criticism