Today's Topics:
Academic Blake Studies
German Crabb book
Blake, Schlegel and Novalis
Re: "study guide"
Re: Genealogy of Blake
Re: Genealogy of Blake
Re: Genealogy of Blake
Re: Genealogy of Blake
Re: "study guide"
Blake studies + ancestry
Re: Blake, Schlegel and Novalis
Blake Bibliography
Re: Blake, Schlegel and Novalis
Re: The Demiurge
sonnets
Re: Anglo-German Blake Connections
Re: Re: "study guide"
Re: Genealogy of Blake
zoas
Re: Re:zoas
Re: Re:zoas
Re: Re: "study guide"
Re: Zoas and emanations
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 14:28:15 +0200 (MET DST)
From: Henriette Stavis
To: jmichael0@sewanee.edu
Cc: blake@albion.com
Subject: Academic Blake Studies
Message-Id:
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Dear Jennifer,
Thank you for taking the time to answer. As an external lecturer in the
English Department of the Univerisity of Copenhagen, my situation is a little
different than Mr. Mahin's. Due to teaching obligations, I am not at
liberty to leave Copenhagen; I, therefore, do not intend to move in
order to be supervised or advised. I just needed the help of friendly,
international academic Blakeans, and the members of the Blake-list have
already proven very generous in this respect.
Sincerely,
Henriette Stavis
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 14:33:53 +0200 (MET DST)
From: Henriette Stavis
To: rdumain@igc.apc.org
Cc: blake@albion.com
Subject: German Crabb book
Message-Id:
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Dear Ralph,
You asked in one of your earlier mails for German Crabb books and I've at
least found one:
'Henry Crabb Robinson und seine deutschen Freunde'.
Palaestra: Untersuchungen aus der deutschen und englischen Philologie und
Literaturgeschichte. Edited by Hertha Marquardt. Vols. 237+249.
Henriette
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 17:06:24 +0200 (MET DST)
From: Henriette Stavis
To: rdumain@igc.apc.org
Cc: blake@albion.com
Subject: Blake, Schlegel and Novalis
Message-Id:
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Dear Ralph,
Please don't feel embarassed about your insight into German Romanticism. I
live in Denmark, am Danish, and haven't a clue about Danish Romanticism.
That's much worse!
You mention that you've read somewhere that in German Romanticism the gap
between poetry and philosophy is supposedly lesser than that in English
Romanticism. I haven't got extensive knowledge in this field, but off
the top of my head, I would tend to agree with you. The Schlegel brothers
were primarily philosophers. Novalis was a little special because he
preferred poetic expression rather philosophical discourse.
PS. If you should be doing Caribbean Lit., then please don't put yourself
out on my account. Even though I'm thankful for the morsels,
you've been handing me, I wouldn't want to cause you time-problems.
Henriette
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 21:03:51 -0400
From: "Chris Willard"
To:
Subject: Re: "study guide"
Message-Id: <00b303003011d78POP_BOX@ddgn.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
I'm interested in studying Blake, and though I've never spent much time
with his work I realize it's my personal undiscovered gem.
I hear that the Harold Bloom book Blake's Apocalypse: An Essay in Poetic
Argument is a good place to begin. Does anyone have an extra copy they
wish to sell? I'm having a difficult time tracking down a copy through any
book search service.
Also, if you know of a book that you consider just as good or better, I'd
love to hear your thoughts on the subject.
Thanks,
Chris Willard
cwillard@ddgn.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 21:05:45 -0400
From: "Chris Willard"
To:
Subject: Re: Genealogy of Blake
Message-Id: <00e903103011d78POP_BOX@ddgn.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
My grandfather is named Blake, New Englander. I've often wondered if there
is any distant connection.
Does anyone know of a source for William Blake's genealogy? I'm guessing
someone must have traced it forward.
Thanks,
Chris Willard
cwillard@ddgn.com
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 20:28:49 -0500
From: tomdill@wc.stephens.edu (TOM DILLINGHAM)
To: blake@albion.com
Subject: Re: Genealogy of Blake
Message-Id: <98072820284964@wc.stephens.edu>
Chris--Blake died childless.
The Bloom book might be good, but if you cannot find a copy, try
Michael Ferber's _The Poetry of William Blake_ in the Penguin
Critical Studies series (paperback) or Stephen BEhrendt's
_Reading William Blake_ (probably not in paperback yet, get it from
a library unless you want to spend money)--both are good
introductions. You will undoubtedly get many recommendations.
Try reading Peter Ackroyd's biography _William Blake_ if you
are interested in background; on down the line, the really
essential book is David Erdman's _Prophet Against Empire_.
If you get to and through that, you will be so hooked you won't
need any more recommendations. But first, read Blake!
Tom Dillingham
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 1998 18:38:36 -0800
From: ndeeter
To: blake@albion.com
Subject: Re: Genealogy of Blake
Message-Id: <35BE8B2B.618@concentric.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
TOM DILLINGHAM brilliantly wrote:
> But first, read Blake!
I sent along a reply about the zoas, but it must not have reached you
there in Albion, Seth. Clip and paste...
***
wayne cruthirds wrote:
>
> Zwey, I've always assumed Blake's "zoa" was the Greek word for:
> 1. a living, means of living, subsistence, goods, property
> 2. life
> Reading your question, however, reminded me that "zoa," as plural, can
> also mean "living things" in Greek.
> If Blake's "zoa" IS the Greek word, Iwonder why he did not use "bios,"
> another Greek word meaning " life" but connoting manner of life.
> --Wayne
Perhaps "zoa" is more articulate because it refers to "animal life"
only, where as "bio" would be more general and refer to all life forms.
Blake's Zoas have a consciousness and move and act in a finite realm.
Therefore, they experience life as "animals."
By the bye, lately I have taken an interest in the sonnet and, although
I do not remember reading any in Erdman, I was wondering if anyone knew
whether Blake had ever written/published any sonnets. Or perhaps a short
or long obscure critical work where he writes about Shakespeare's
sonnets?
***
Ralph,
'Twould be a pity to miss out on Wordsworth and Coleridge, Byron and
Keats, and other Romantics. There is a considerable amount that the
others borrow from Blake and develop. I like to think of Blake as the
pioneer, Wordsworth as the theorist, and Coleridge as the first
practicioner of Romanticism.
Although your loyalty to Blake is noble, one should not forget that
parable about the elephant and the blind men: Truth is arrived at when
the big picture can be seen.
Nathan Deeter
ndeeter@concentric.net
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 07:24:07 +0100
From: timli@controls.eurotherm.co.uk (Tim Linnell)
To: , blake@albion.com
Subject: Re: Genealogy of Blake
Message-Id: <199807290623.HAA18834@merlot.controls.eurotherm.co.uk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>My grandfather is named Blake, New Englander. I've often wondered if there
>is any distant connection.
>
>Does anyone know of a source for William Blake's genealogy? I'm guessing
>someone must have traced it forward.
Blake had no children, and neither as far as I am aware did any of his
siblings (Robert, Catherine, and John (who Blake referred to as 'The evil
one')). There have been claims, mostly during the 19th Century, that uncles
and distant relatives (usually illustrious) have been found, but without
anything other than very flimsy anecdotal evidence to back up the claim.
besr regards
Tim Linnell
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 07:34:55 +0100
From: timli@controls.eurotherm.co.uk (Tim Linnell)
To: , blake@albion.com
Subject: Re: "study guide"
Message-Id: <199807290634.HAA22442@merlot.controls.eurotherm.co.uk>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>I'm interested in studying Blake, and though I've never spent much time
>with his work I realize it's my personal undiscovered gem.
There's a very good thesis on the web at
http://worldmall.com/erf/blake/BLAKEMIL.TXT
This covers the symbolism of Milton and other prophetic works, and also some
very interesting insights into Blake's visions and their origin. It's very
readable indeed and well worth a look
regards
Tim Linnell
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 10:32:30 +0200 (MET DST)
From: Henriette Stavis
To: cwillard@ddgn.com
Cc: blake@albion.com
Subject: Blake studies + ancestry
Message-Id:
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Dear Chris,
I am in profound agreement with the advice you've been receiving about
reading Blake. One of my best and most loved teachers asked us to read
before we studied a text. Although he was talking about Milton's
'Paradise Lost', it was this advice that gave me the courage to read
Blake's long prophetic poems. I think the essence of what he taught me
was that I had to experience before I could understand. No matter how
much I were to study bibliographies and annotations, he knew that I would
never truly understand, if I hadn't experience the greatness of the
poetry firsthand. And I think that is what other people have been telling
about.
Reveries aside, if you want a good and easy introduction to the world of
Blake, have you tried the good, old-fashioned Casebooks? There is one on
Blake as such (edited by N.Frye) and there's another devoted entirely to
the 'Songs of Innocence and Experience' (edited by Margaret Bottrall).
There is also a Norton Critical Edition of 'Blake's Poetry and Designs'
and they always seem to be good. If, however, this is all far beneath
your level, I apologize. You might try Northrop Frye's 'Fearful
Symmetry', though, it is practically a classic in Blake studies.
About Blake's ancestry, I tend to agree with all the others that it is
unfortunately highly unlikely that you or your grandfather are related to
William Blake. The Irish poet, William Butler Yeats once claimed that Blake
was Irish because there lived some people in Ireland at the time Blake was
alive, so perhaps if there is Irish blood in your ancestry, you might be
related to them. Or perhaps it is just all a wonderful coincidence.
Sincerely,
Henriette Stavis
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 01:47:19 -0700 (PDT)
From: Ralph Dumain
To: Henriette Stavis
Cc: blake@albion.com
Subject: Re: Blake, Schlegel and Novalis
Message-Id: <2.2.16.19980729044448.43878002@pop.igc.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
At 05:06 PM 7/28/98 +0200, Henriette Stavis wrote:
>Please don't feel embarassed about your insight into German Romanticism. I
>live in Denmark, am Danish, and haven't a clue about Danish Romanticism.
>That's much worse!
I don't know Schlegel from schinola. I'm so uneducated, I'm so ashamed, and
I'll never live it down.
>PS. If you should be doing Caribbean Lit., then please don't put yourself
>out on my account. Even though I'm thankful for the morsels,
>you've been handing me, I wouldn't want to cause you time-problems.
That's sweet, but actually, as I have a house guest, I'm unable to
concentrate on my real work. I shouldn't be reading Caribbean lit either.
I should be doing tedious editorial work on CLR James, or finishing up
cleaning the bathroom. Faced with these choices, I've decided that
rummaging through boxes and endless piles of paper littering my domicile,
with the aim of consolidating all my Blake and Romanticism arcana into one
big pile, is really the thing to do, and I've really snowed my guest into
accepting this. I tell him, Henriette needs me. But I digress.
The reason I have even a flimsy excuse to read about Caribbean lit, as
opposed to actually reading the literature itself, is because I need the
background on the development of West Indian literature in the 1930s, which
relates to my literary research on James. But even doing this is skating on
thin ice.
Now where was I? Oh, yes, while my guest was catching up on e-mail with the
folks back home, I sat spellbound reading my favorite reference book, THE
ENGLISH ROMANTIC POETS: A REVIEW OF RESEARCH AND CRITICISM, 4th edition.
I'm telling you, for a bibliographical guide to the literature, it's a good
read, and I'm not even in this field. So I'm reading the section "English
Romanticism Abroad" in the first chapter while listening to Frank Zappa, and
the author begins by pointing out that many of the great Romanticist
scholars are comparativists. After mentioning Wellek and P