Blake, Myth, and Enlightenment: The Politics of Apotheosis

Fallon, David

This book provides compelling new readings of William Blake’s poetry and art, including the first sustained account of his visionary paintings of Pitt and Nelson. It focuses on the recurrent motif of apotheosis, both as a figure of political authority to be demystified but also as an image of utopian possibility. It reevaluates Blake’s relationship to Enlightenment thought, myth, religion, and politics, from The French Revolution to Jerusalem and The Laocoön. The book combines careful attention to cultural and historical contexts with close readings of the texts and designs, providing an innovative account of Blake’s creative transformations of Enlightenment, classical, and Christian thought.

Details

Published by: Palgrave Macmillan

Publication Date: 2017-01-18

Format: Hardcover

ISBN-13: 9781137390349

DOI: 10.1057/978-1-137-39035-6

Dimensions: 210cm x148cm

Pages: 343