The Book of Thel (Masterplots II: Poetry, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: William Blake
- First Published: 1789
- Type of Work: Narrative
- Genres: Poetry, Narrative poetry
- Subjects: Mythology or myths, Nature, Flowers, Death or dying, Legends, Romanticism, Worms, Clouds
The Poem
The Book of Thel is one of William Blake’s early “Prophetic Books,” illustrated and printed by Blake himself on eight plates, in a process he invented. The poem itself consists of a motto followed by four sections of blank-verse paragraphs of varying lengths.
After the motto has posed some cryptic questions about how knowledge and wisdom might be acquired, the reader is introduced to Thel, a young girl wandering in a mythological pastoral setting, the vales of Har. The unhappy Thel is asking many questions about the purpose of her life. She is...
[The entire page is 1610 words long]
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