Dec 30, 2009

Songs of Innocence and of Experience | Songs of Innocence and of Experience

At a glance:

Author: William Blake
First Published: 1789
Type of Work: Poetry
Genres: Poetry, Lyric sequence
Subjects: Girls, Children, Religion, Poetry or poets, England or English people, Feminism, Christianity, Good and evil, London, Infants, Allegory, Jesus Christ, Songs or songwriters, Boys, Animals

Critical Evaluation:

Songs of Innocence and of Experience is the foundation of the work of one of the greatest English poets and artists. The two sets of poems reveal what Blake calls “the two contrary states of the human soul.” The presentation of these states is deceptively simple, literally childlike in the “Innocence” poems. In both series, clues are offered to deeper meanings and ways out of the apparent trap of selfhood are suggested, so that each reading provides greater insight and understanding, not only to the poems but also to human life.

The...

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Songs of Innocence and of Experience | Songs of Innocence and of Experience

At a glance:

Critical Evaluation:

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