This carefully crafted ebook: "Songs of Innocence and of Experience: Showing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul (Illuminated Manuscript with the Original Illustrations of William Blake)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Songs of Innocence was the first of Blake's illuminated books published in 1789. It is a cheerful and optimistic volume which concerns itself with such themes as springtime, children's games, the freedom of the human spirit, and a kind and loving God. Songs of Experience is the second part of Songs of Innocence and of Experience. The poems and artwork were reproduced by copperplate engraving and colored with washes by hand. Blake republished Songs of Innocence and Experience several times, often changing the number and order of the plates. The spellings, punctuation and capitalizations are those of the original Blake manuscripts. William Blake (1757 – 1827) was a British poet, painter, visionary mystic, and engraver, who illustrated and printed his own books. Blake proclaimed the supremacy of the imagination over the rationalism and materialism of the 18th-century. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age.

William Blake's 'Songs of Innocence and of Experience: Showing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul' is a collection of poems that explore the dual nature of humanity, portraying both the purity and simplicity of innocence and the complexity and darkness of experience. Blake's lyrical style and use of symbolism make this work a quintessential example of Romantic poetry, as he delves into themes of childhood, religion, and societal norms. The contrast between the two states of the human soul is vividly depicted through the juxtaposition of the poems in this collection, inviting readers to contemplate the intricacies of human nature and existence. William Blake's unique vision and poetic craftsmanship shine through in each verse, making 'Songs of Innocence and of Experience' a timeless classic in English literature. William Blake, a visionary poet and artist, was deeply influenced by his spiritual beliefs and political views, which are reflected in his works. His exploration of the human soul in 'Songs of Innocence and of Experience' showcases his profound understanding of the human condition and his ability to capture the nuances of emotion and morality. Blake's revolutionary approach to poetry and art set him apart from his contemporaries, making him a revered figure in the Romantic movement. I highly recommend 'Songs of Innocence and of Experience' to readers who appreciate thought-provoking poetry that delves into the complexities of the human experience. William Blake's masterpiece offers a profound exploration of innocence and experience that will resonate with audiences across generations.

This carefully crafted ebook: "Songs of Experience (Illuminated Manuscript with the Original Illustrations of William Blake)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Songs of Experience is the second part of Songs of Innocence and of Experience: Shewing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul (first published in 1794), an expansion of Blake's first illuminated book Songs of Innocence. The poems and artwork were reproduced by copperplate engraving and colored with washes by hand. Blake republished Songs of Innocence and Experience several times, often changing the number and order of the plates. The spellings, punctuation and capitalizations are those of the original Blake manuscripts. William Blake (1757 – 1827) was a British poet, painter, visionary mystic, and engraver, who illustrated and printed his own books. Blake proclaimed the supremacy of the imagination over the rationalism and materialism of the 18th-century. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. CONTENT: Introduction Earth's Answer The Clod and the Pebble Holy Thursday The Little Girl Lost The Little Girl Found The Chimney-Sweeper Nurse's Song The Sick Rose The Fly The Angel The Tiger My Pretty Rose Tree Ah, Sunflower The Lily The Garden of Love The Little Vagabond London The Human Abstract Infant Sorrow A Poison Tree A Little Boy Lost A Little Girl Lost A Divine Image A Cradle Song The Schoolboy To Tirzah

Songs of Innocence and of Experience compiles two contrasting but directly related books of poetry by William Blake. Songs of Innocence honors and praises the natural world, the natural innocence of children and their close relationship to God. Songs of Experience contains much darker, disillusioned poems, which deal with serious, often political themes. It is believed that the disastrous end to the French Revolution produced this disillusionment in Blake. He does, however, maintain that true innocence is achieved only through experience.

The Romantic period coincided with revolutionary transformations of traditional political and human rights discourses, as well as witnessing rapid advances in technology and a primitivist return to nature. As a broad global movement, Romanticism strongly impacted on the literature and arts of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in ways that are still being debated and negotiated today. Examining the poetry, fiction, non-fiction, drama, and the arts of the period, this book considers: Important propositions and landmark ideas in the Romantic period; Key debates and critical approaches to Romantic studies; New and revisionary approaches to Romantic literature and art; The ways in which Romantic writing interacts with broader trends in history, politics, and aesthetics; European and Global Romanticism; The legacies of Romanticism in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Containing useful, reader-friendly features such as explanatory case studies, chapter summaries, and suggestions for further reading, this clear and engaging book is an invaluable resource for anyone who intends to study and research the complexity and diversity of the Romantic period, as well as the historical conditions which produced it.

V. 1-3 include "Bibliographies of modern authors by Henry Danielson."

The first section of this book follows Blake out of the family haberdashery shop, where his parents tacitly and unwittingly shaped his future as a poet; then into (and out of) the custody of Basire, Moser, and the Medway militia. The book then turns back to the days of Samuel Pepys for the crowning of King Mob, and for the formulation of systems of social control, particularly directed at the young. Gardner traces the exploitation of children (both poor and "the better sort") through the century and Blake's familiar knowledge of the rescue of workhouse children in his parish which he chronicled in Innocence. It was these turbulent decades that fostered Blake's reactions to what he saw in the city around him, and which became the poems and designs in Innocence and Experience. For Blake, "the terrible desart of London" was where the triad of State, Church and Imperial Commerce set the foundations of privilege and oppression. Respite from this for Blake lay among the Surrey hills south of the Thames, and in "organised Innocence". Illustrated with maps, drawings and engravings of the period this part demonstrates how remarkably Blake's vision responded to his times. The second part of this book includes complete facsimiles of two copies of each of fifty-four plates in the Songs set.