Description
Book SynopsisIncorporating the most recent discoveries concerning Blake's heritage and cultural context, Visionary Materialism in the Early Works of William Blake: The Intersection of Enthusiasm and Empiricism proposes a radical new reading of his early works, that sees them taking enlightenment ideas to heights never dreamed of by Locke and Priestley.
Trade Review'This work can serve as an excellent resource for scholars interested in Blake's materialism, and it also demonstrates the necessity of value of conjectural leaps in humanities research.' - Marcel O'Gorman, Romanticism
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements- A Note on Texts and Illustrations Introduction: Blake and his Traditions PART 1: EXPERIENCES OF EMPIRICISM Blake and Locke: Friendship and Enmity Closet and Cavern Priestley and the Material Soul PART 2: THE TREE OF MYSTERY Obscurity and the Sublime Infinity: Causes and Consequences The Corporealisation of Thought 'Surgeing Sulphureous Fluid': The Case of Urizen PART 3: RIGHT REASON AND 'SENSE SUPERNATURAL' 'Where Else is Heaven': The Ranting Impulse and Inner Light The Spiritual Substance The Abyssal Eye PART 4: THE OPENING EYE 'He Conversed with Angels' Divine Vision as Political Force PART 5: THE ARK OF GOD 'What is Man!' The First Principle Perception, Liberty and Organic Light The Bounding Line Outlining the Vessels of Eternity PART 6: THE SUBLIME ACT Incarnations and Inheritance Index
