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"For every thing that lives is Holy": Authenticity and Inclusion in William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

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Author

  • Alexis Lundblom

Summary, in English

This essay examines the concept of authenticity in relation to William Blake in general and specifically in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790). The Romantic period idealised authenticity but focussed studies into Blake’s relationship with authenticity are relatively few. Previous research contextualizing Blake explores themes such as education, politics and religion, but recent research proposes that Blake has previously been inserted into an inadequate political context, suggesting possibly unexplored perspectives on much of Blake’s work. This essay’s hypothesis is that through examining what form the striving for an authentic ideal takes in Blake’s work, a unique focus on inclusion can be found. The aim of this essay is to add an examination of Blake and authenticity to existing research.

Department/s

Publishing year

2018

Language

English

Document type

Student publication for Bachelor's degree

Topic

  • Languages and Literatures

Keywords

  • William Blake
  • Authenticity
  • The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
  • Romanticism
  • Inclusion
  • Rousseau
  • Swedenborg

Supervisor

  • Cian Duffy (Professor)