This document also provides an in depth analysis of the life of William Blake. This is to help when writing about him in the exam, thus boosting your AO3 marks
- Born in Soho in 1757 to a lower-middle-class family
- He was a champion of social justice and believed that individuals had the right to
question authority and rebel against them
- He condemned those who wield power
- He often used metaphorical and ambiguous symbolism to conceal his betterment
towards wider social structures. Perhaps for his protection
- He came from a family of Dissenters who had been taught to question authority from an
early age
- He was never an atheist but had a hatred of organised religion in all forms and remained
deeply suspicious of the church
- He despised those who used religion as a weapon
- During ‘The Age of Reason’, religious matters became challenged as logic, science and
intellect became the preoccupation
- He despised the Industrial Revolution as it further exemplified the class divide as it
introduced the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat
- Working conditions were terrible- mass migration to urban areas resulted in cramped
working conditions, exploitation and a lack of Unions
- Blake was sympathetic to the French and American revolutions
- Believed in John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s philosophies (“man is born free
but everywhere he is in chains”, tabula, being that children are blank slates)
- Women and children were preferred in factory work as they were the scapegoats for
lower wages
- Prostitution was common for women of lower classes as there were limited means to
make a living
- Blake uses the child as a device to represent the sacred nature of innocence, but society
rendered them victims of fallen childhoods
- In the Augustan era (1700-1745), women and children were seen as unfit subjects for
poetry so Blake may have been rebelling against this
- He had a quest for truth and an attraction to the supernatural power of imagination
- Indulgence in pleasure and sensuality
- Some of his themes also fall under the gothic genre
- Such as isolation and loneliness, wild landscapes (could link to Wordsworth and Keats
too), ruined or grotesque buildings, darkness, sex and sexuality, crime, lawlessness,
abuse and power
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller leenagarti1. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £2.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
