Blake, William

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FLICKERING LIGHT
Chevalier conjures the sights and sounds of 1792 London
Not the Tracy Chevalier I once loved
Hidden Treasure Found Inside
Problems with the shape of the book

Burning Bright
Tracy Chevalier
Manufacturer: Dutton Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 052594978X
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Book Description

Unabridged CDs - 7 CDs, 8 hours Tracy Chevalier captivated readers when Dutton published The Girl with a Pearl Earring in December 1999. Since then, she has written two New York Times bestsellers, Falling Angels and The Lady and the Unicorn. Now, three years after the publication of her last book, Chevalier is at the top of her form in the breathtaking novel Burning Bright.

Customer Reviews:

FLICKERING LIGHT.......2007-06-23

This was a book I listened to as I drove to Arizona. The fact that the drive was boring and the landscape barren made the book fairly enjoyable. Not a prize winner by any stretch of the imagination, the story portrays Georgian England competently and gives the listener a glimpse into the everyday lives of "average" folks. We experience every aspect of their lives and work as well as the influence of the French Revolution on their existence. The reading by Jill Tanner is adequate (although I could have lived without her singing the three or four bawdy pub songs that were peppered throughout the book).

As others have indicated, this is NOT "The Girl With A Pearl Earring" in which Vermeer was a central character. Those purchasing the book with the belief that it will tell the story of poet, artist and printer William Blake will be sadly disappointed. His appearance in the novel can best be compared to standing on a railway platform as a train goes by and looking at the people on the platform across the way. You only catch a fleeting glimpse between the passing cars. So also with Blake.... he is a mere "footnote" in this book as he makes appearances here and there and acts as mentor of sorts to the Kellaway and Butterfield children, who are in truth the central characters of the story. The children do, however, act as a sort of catalyst in inspiring the poet to create one of his most famous poems, "Songs of Innocence and of Experience".

In reality, this is part coming of age tale, part story of young love, with a side trip to examine the anguish of being an independent thinker in an era when dissidents were looked upon with great suspicion.

Not the best book on tape you will ever listen to, but good enough to keep you from falling asleep at the wheel. Two and a half stars.

Chevalier conjures the sights and sounds of 1792 London.......2007-05-30

Tracy Chevalier brilliantly brought to life the 17th-century world of the Netherlands in the fictional biography of Johannes VerMeer in GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING. Now, in BURNING BRIGHT, she turns her spell-weaving skills toward painter, poet and visionary William Blake in 18th-century London.

Maisie Kellaway, daughter of a woodworker, has just moved with her older brother Jem and her parents from a North Country village to an upscale London row house owned by her father's new employer, Phillip Astley, of the famous Astley Circus. Her father, a skilled chair maker, seeks a better life for his family by working as a carpenter for the circus. Maisie is befriended by street-wise Maggie Butterfield, the daughter of a con artist and rogue who lives in a rough nearby neighborhood. Maggie is a few years older than Maisie and has her eye on Jem.

The Kellaways live next door to William Blake and his wife, who are shunned yet regarded with fearful respect by their neighbors. The story is set against the far-off rumblings of the French Revolution, a cause in which Blake seems to sympathize. As a poet and an engraver, Blake's obscure prolific publications perplex even the most erudite Englishmen, but they seem to impart the sense of lust for freedom and equality roiling on the continent that the fervid Royalists of the age see as seditious.

Maisie, Jem and Maggie begin to spend time in the Blake garden, as their landlady won't allow renters in her formal backyard. Blake does not outwardly try to influence the young people, but he and his wife encourage them to learn to read, and his poetry is all they have at hand aside from the Bible.

Blake's role in the book, while pivotal, is not as central to the story as was VerMeer's in GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING. Servitude and class distinctions are not as strictly drawn in the late 18th century as they were in the 1600s. As the 1700s draw to a close, a new awareness of the power of the masses is on the horizon. As the French Revolution grows, so does its threat of spreading to England. When Maggie's Royalist boss at the vinegar factory intimidates his employees into signing a petition in support of King George, she manages to slip away without doing so. She heads for the local pub where her mother, father and brother hang out.

The boss shows up at the pub and declares that dissenters to signing the petition are traitors to the crown and may suffer the same consequences as the French Revolutionaries if they don't support the king. When a few in the pub, including Maisie's father, stand up to the man, they are threatened with a visit to their homes. Maggie is shocked when her own father so easily bends to the will of the petitioner. She follows Maisie and her father to their home. Soon, a torch-bearing throng marches down the street where the Kellaways and Blake live. They confront Blake at his doorway, and when Blake staunchly refuses to sign, a riot breaks out. What follows seals the fate of our young heroes.

Chevalier is adept at evoking a powerful sense of time and place. In GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, one could almost see the muted hues of the city of Delft, which so influenced VerMeer's paintings. In BURNING BRIGHT, Chevalier conjures the sights and sounds of 1792 London, shrouded in fog and coal smoke, and bustling with street vendors, charlatans, prostitutes and thieves. She captures ordinary people at the dawn of the radical changes in social, moral and political opinion that will shape the centuries to come.

--- Reviewed by Roz Shea

Not the Tracy Chevalier I once loved.......2007-05-25

It seems so unfortunate that a really dynamic writer, in an effort to get another book out quickly, will write just anything. This book was a terrific disappointment. Country kids; very little Blake and no reason to keep on reading except to "get it over with" !

Hidden Treasure Found Inside.......2007-05-20

Other than The Girl With a Pearl Earring, I think this is Ms. Chevalier's second best work.
Her ability to create another world is powerful. The reader can see the countryside and smell the city, as we travel with one family from rural farm country to London. As most people then, they were escaping the pain of loss and thus were running from the world they knew, to a totally foreign existence. They meet hostility in the new culture of city life. They struggle to understand a new dialect, as well as learning big city mores and expectations.
As they journey, they encounter three angels in the unique form: of business man, Mr. Astley, who runs a successful circus and gives them employment; a political writer, Mr. Blake, who teaches them to be true to themselves; and a worldly young woman, whose lot in life is to be servant to others, who helps them survive daily challenges.
The bibliography is impressive and the author certainly demonstrates an accurate portrayal of life in that very important time in European History, the early 1790's.
Her book besides being a very interesting glimpse into the life of both the wealthy and the humble is also a representation of today's world events.
Mr. Blake is persecuted for standing up for the people by writing poetry and children's stories, which reveals the oppressiveness of the current powerful elite. I think perhaps as American's, we fail to see this same system taking advantage of us because our officials are elected...or are they? When was the last time a moral person got elected to Congress or even dog catcher without loads of money from Corporate sponsors? This is the world Mr. Blake is almost martyred in, are we not approaching this censorship today with the control of the Media by a select few such as Media Corp, Clear Channel and Tribune Communications tell using, who is morally right and who is deceiving us and immoral and just plain wrong?When we hear the same arguments over and over that are proven lies told to get support of the people. When talking heads constantly berate anyone, who doesn't walk lock step with the President.
Though like other reviewers, I too felt that William Blake could have been better developed and more integral. Perhaps, Ms. Chevalier wanted to make us relate to the world from the view point of being ordinary, but living in extraordinary times?
Well Done Ms. Chevalier!

Problems with the shape of the book.......2007-05-17

The times of the delivery were accurate but the shape of the book was not very good. It seems to be a problem of impression, because it's like if the pages are not well cut. It was in offer (reduced price), and maybe that's why, but in the description of the product didn't say anything about that.

Mathematics for Elementary Teachers: A Contemporary Approach, Sixth Edition

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Happy Customer!
A VERY GOOD MATH BOOK!!!!!!

Mathematics for Elementary Teachers: A Contemporary Approach, Sixth Edition
Gary L. Musser , William F. Burger , and Blake E. Peterson
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471164259

Book Description

All the essential mathematics teachers need for teaching at the elementary and middle school levels! This best seller features rich problem-solving strategies, relevant topics, and extensive opportunities for hands-on experience. The coverage in the book moves from the concrete to the pictorial to the abstract, reflecting the way math is generally taught in elementary classrooms.

Mathematics for Elementary Teachers, Student Resource Handbook

This invaluable resource handbook is designed to improve student learning and provide models for effective classroom practices.

Customer Reviews:

Happy Customer!.......2005-09-17

This was the first used textbook that I purchased online. The book was in almost-new condition, it arrived within 5 days after I placed the order, AND the cost was 50% less than the used book price at my college bookstore! I'll be searching Amazon again next semester!

A VERY GOOD MATH BOOK!!!!!!.......2004-05-20

So often, math textbooks are beyond anyone's comprehension. Here is one book that has changed all that! There are plenty of examples and explains the reasons and theories as to why a certain math topic is solved the way it is. It also shows different ways one could solve problems!

Book Description

This leading mathematics text for elementary and middle school educators helps you quickly develop a true understanding of mathematical concepts. It integrates rich problem-solving strategies with relevant topics and extensive opportunities for hands-on experience. By progressing from the concrete to the pictorial to the abstract, Musser captures the way math is generally taught in elementary schools.

This title will give you all the essentials mathematics teachers need for teaching at the elementary and middle school levels: <ul>

Highlights algebraic concepts throughout the text and includes additional supporting information.

Provides enhanced coverage of order of operations, Z-scores, union of two events, Least Common Multiple, and Greatest Common Factor.

Focuses on solid mathematical content in an accessible and appealing way.

Offers the largest collection of problems (over 3,000!), worked examples, and problem-solving strategies in any text of its kind.

Includes a comprehensive, five-chapter treatment of geometry based on the van Hiele model. </ul>

Customer Reviews:

Mathematics for Elementary Teachers.......2007-02-11

It's great. Would definately order more books by Gary L. Musser

Great Book!.......2005-09-26

Since I was unable to buy this manual at my college bookstore, it was great to be able to order it....and the manual was in perfect condition!

Great book!.......2005-08-19

I was able to use this book for two semesters! It contains double the info and you don't have to buy a book the next semester.

Outstanding price.......2002-01-18

Very fast receipt, well packaged, very well priced, and everything included. Outstanding service and will definitely consider buying used textbooks from this seller in the future!

New and improved ways to problem solve in mathematics.......2000-05-10

I used the Mathematics for elementary teachers for a college level course. The text is interesting and provides the reader/learner with a solid foundation of Problem solving skills in learning and teaching mathematics. It has several useful examples of the strategies as well as challenging problems that can be solved on ones own. The problem solving strategies are new in the respect that "it's not your mama's math." There are several types of problem solving skills that I was not aware of and will come in handy for teaching and learning because not everybody solves problems the same. The text works at applying concepts to "real classroom" setting. Many of the strategies presented are in line with the National Council Of Teachers of Mathematics Curriculum and Evaluation Standards (NCTM)- the leading authority in the U.S. focusing on keeping standards in math curriculums across the country, to ensure that students are well prepared for future more complex mathematics. The chapters are followed by numerous challenging math problems to solve. And some of the answers are even in the back of the book so you can check yourself. A solid foundation of basic math operations and Algebra I is a must to keep up with the text. The only downside is that I wish there was a workbook to compliment the text. I found myself re doing the same problems in order to get the concepts down. It would have been better if there were more problems similar to the chapters. Another problem was that some of the answers in the back of the book were wrong.

A Blake Dictionary: The Ideas and Symbols of William Blake

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An essential reference work for Blake scholarship.

A Blake Dictionary: The Ideas and Symbols of William Blake
S. Foster Damon , and Morris Eaves
Manufacturer: Brown University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

The Complete Poetry & Prose of William Blake
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The Cambridge Companion to William Blake (Cambridge Companions to Literature)

ASIN: 0874514363

Book Description

An indispensable guide to Blake's ideas and symbols is once again available in paper, with a new foreword and annotated bibliography

Customer Reviews:

An essential reference work for Blake scholarship........2000-06-08

Prophet? Madman? Or philosopher? The mythological characters in William Blake's prophetic poetry present a conundrum for the reader who confronts these characters with the traditional literary expectations of a symbolic reading. Indeed, the vanguard of contemporary criticism would argue that the very complexity of Blake's mythology precludes an all inclusive schemata.

Book Description

Since its first publication in 1965, this edition has been widely hailed as the best available text of Blake's poetry and prose. Now revised, if includes up-to-date work on variants, chronology of poems and critical commentary by Harold Bloom.

An "Approved Edition" of the Center for Scholarly Editions of the Modern Language Association.

Customer Reviews:

It has it all.......2006-11-04

It has all his writings: letters, anotations scribbled in the margins of other people's books, everything. Only downside: it doesn't show his illuminated printing.

Complete works of William Blake.......2006-03-09

A wonderful paperback edition, containing all the works of
William Blake, with a excellent introduction
of Harold Bloom. An priceless tool for students
and teachers

outstanding.......2006-02-23

This is an outstanding resource for anyone interested in the works of William Blake. It's well organized and easy to work with. I'm very pleased with it.

It Can't Be Possible.......2004-07-24

How is it possible that Blake was able to articulate the full enormity of his vision while keeping up with the complex mythological narrative he invented? Through much of his longer poetical works he so effortlessly associates his mammoth cosmic figures with a riveting and impassioned philosophical discourse. One wonders whether the man was even human. And yet it is precisely this disbelief he and, a bit later and with more severity, Nietzsche preached against.

For Blake, the human imagination is the gateway to eternity, and anyone is capable of it. Yet even this vote of confidence in man falls short of Nietzsche's often misunderstood optimism when he asserts that artistic achievement has nothing to do with the "muse" and is wholly within the boundaries of human ability. For Nietzsche, man alone responsible for his great works, and to credit anything else with their sublimity is to undermine human potential. But Blake, a man of profound faith, contends that "When I am commanded by the spirits, then I write; and the moment I have written, I see the words fly about the room in all directions." Yet how telling it is that even this humble explaining-away of his powers is fraught with poetry.

But whether or not Blake credited himself with his evident genius, the works speak for themselves. And for "The Complete Poetry and Prose," two of the most competent Blake scholars join forces to offer a clear, extensive and informed presentation of Blake's output. Astonishing in scope and scholarship, this Erdman/Bloom edition is as indispensable for Blake's work as it is for their notes and commentary. My only complaint is the inconsistency of Bloom's commentary. He skips entire sections of Blake's worth here, whereas he covers every last word of it in his own book, "Blake's Apocalypse." Hmm . . . Harold wouldn't, by any chance, be trying to get us to, um, SPEND a little more, you think? Naaahhh.

But no commentary -- no matter how illuminating -- will ever approach the radiance of Blake's own words. From the plainspoken awe of the early masterpieces, "Ahania" and "The Book of Thel," to the astonishing epics "The Four Zoas" and "Jerusalem" and right down to "The Mental Traveler," that late fruition of Blake's bitingly ironical voice, "The Complete Poems and Prose" reads like a Bible in its own right. Routinely taking on such lofty subjects as the fall of man, love and jealousy, desire and reason, good and evil, a reading of Blake's work all together yields just as much beauty, mystery and genius.

Equally as riveting are the many letters with which the primary portion of the book concludes. Rife with the fierce inquisitiveness and confidence that characterizes the famous "Proverbs of Hell," Blake's letters rank with those of Keats and Hopkins as some of the most stirring autobiographical sketches ever produced by a master poet.

Erdman's "Prophet Against Empire" and Bloom's aforementioned "Blake's Apocalypse" make for great companion pieces, as does Frye's "Fearful Symmetry." But I think the best way for new readers to take on Blake's work is by diving blindly into its initially cold waters, and only calling in Erdman, Bloom and Frye to turn up the heat later on.

An essential book with the words of a great writer and poet.......2002-09-11

This is an essential book for those of us who love William Blake for his words as well as for his engravings, drawings, and paintings.

I hardly knew anything about Blake before I made several trips to London on business in 1995 - 96. When I began to see his work (for example, at the Tate - now Tate Britain) I was deeply moved. I read the wonderful biography by Ackroyd that was just then published and began to collect affordable editions of the illustrated works.

Later, I became aware of this book and purchased it as well. It is very affordable and contains many wonderful things in addition to the primary writings of Blake. For example, we also get Blake's annotations of other writers' works, some of his letters, and textual notes. On the downside, there are a only a few black and white illustrations. This is a book for thinking about Blake's WORDS.

Yes, by definition the illuminated works really do require the illustrations to be complete, but it is hard to meditate and think about just the words without being distracted by those amazing drawings. (Princeton University Press publishes fabulous editions of the illuminated works in paperback.) By all means spend a great deal of time with the illuminated works and you will be richly rewarded, but spending time with the words apart is also very wonderful and very helpful.

The always rewarding Harold Bloom also provides extended commentary on many of the works in the back of the book.

Book Description

A poet, painter, and engraver, William Blake died in 1827 in obscurity. Yet he has become one of the most anthologized writers in English and one of the most collected British artists. His urge to create masterpieces of revelation has left complex (and sometimes bizarre) works of written and visual art. The essays in this Companion and a chronology, guides to further reading, and glossary of Blake's terms identify the key points of departure into Blake's diverse world.

The Urizen Books (The Illuminated Books of William Blake, Volume 6)

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Beautiful images, great helps for the general reader
A must have!
A must have!

The Urizen Books (The Illuminated Books of William Blake, Volume 6)
William Blake
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Similar Items:

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ASIN: 0691001464

Book Description

The last volumes in the series of William Blake's Illuminated Books reveal the writer and artist as a prophet driven by a sense of apocalyptic urgency. Blake conceived and executed The Continental Prophecies and The Urizen Books in the early 1790s, capturing the intellectual and spiritual turmoil of the American and French revolutions. Here, for the first time, the general reader will encounter Blake's most intense vision in reproductions that do justice to the originals, accompanied by texts, comprehensive notes and commentaries, and detailed interpretations of the designs.

The Urizen Books, made up of "Urizen," "The Book of Los," and "Ahania," describes the dissemination of the autocratic mythology of Urizen, Blake's inflexibly rationalist and myopic law-giver. These books stand as the author's sensible and considered response to the events of his time. The illuminated text of "Urizen" and the ten full-page illustrations from copy D in the British Museum, never before reproduced, represent a tour de force in Blake's specialist process of color printing.

These volumes complete the six-part series of William Blake's Illuminated Books, including Jerusalem, Songs of Innocence and of Experience, The Early Illuminated Books, and Milton, A Poem, all published by Princeton University Press.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful images, great helps for the general reader.......2004-02-02

These three works in some ways develop the characters Blake used in the three Continental Prophecies. But don't expect any kind of coherent development or to be able to fathom out any kind of understandable timeline. This is Blake after all. Most of this book is helpful introduction, commentary, notes, and supplementary materials.

"The First Book of Urizen" is the longest of the three and the most illustrated. It has images that are absolutely unforgettable. They have a power and emotional impact that holds the viewer. I have met people who find them repulsive. I think the emotional impact makes them uncomfortable so they want to get away from the images and so push them away.

"The Book of Ahania" and "The Book of Los" are much shorter and the illustrations are limited to the title page and the last plate ("The Book of Los" also has an illustration on the opening page of text.). The other pages are done in particularly fine Blake script.

As with the rest of the volumes in this series the quality of reproduction is very high and these images are delightful to study. The scholarship is quite good and the writing is focused on opening these works up to the general reader - at least a general reader who enjoys studying Blake and is willing to put in the time it takes to fathom these rather wonderfully strange works. A treasure for the shelf of any Blake lover.

A must have!.......2000-09-27

I recommend that any fan of William Blake buy this volume and the other 5 in the series. The books are beautiful, large, and handsomely bound. Each book is reproduced in full color, using a six-color printing process rather than the standard four. The pages are heavy, opaque and have a gorgous lustre indicating very high quality paper. The text of each book accompanies the color reproductions in standard typeface with very competent commentary to boot.

A must have!.......2000-09-27

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: A Facsimile in Full Color

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Marriage of Heaven and Hell
"The path of excess leads to the palace of wisdom."
worth it

The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: A Facsimile in Full Color
William Blake
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486281221

Book Description

Inspired satire on religion and morality, including 70 aphorisms of "Proverbs of Hell." 27 full-color plates, full text.

Customer Reviews:

Marriage of Heaven and Hell.......2007-01-18

The transaction was great. Everything was as it was supposed to be.

"The path of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.".......2004-08-07

One of Blake's fantastic works, with all of the artwork right there with it. This is the first copy of a William Blake book I ever owned and I still love it to death, as small as it is, and read it again and again.

worth it.......1999-04-28

It's great to read Blake is his own typeset. And the book is essential Blake.

Witness Against the Beast: William Blake and the Moral Law

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"A Long, and Perhaps Strange, Way Into Blake"

Witness Against the Beast: William Blake and the Moral Law
E. P. Thompson
Manufacturer: New Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1565840992

Book Description

Witness Against the Beast is a groundbreaking interdisciplinary study in which the renowned social historian E. P. Thompson contends that most of the assumptions scholars have made about William Blake are misleading and unfounded. Brilliantly reexamining Blake's cultural milieu and intellectual background, Thompson detects in Blake's poetry a repeated call to resist the usury and commercialism of the "Antichrist" embodied by contemporary society--to "witness against the beast."

Customer Reviews:

"A Long, and Perhaps Strange, Way Into Blake".......2004-07-18

The cumbersome challenge E.P. Thompson sets for himself in this book is to unearth Blake's obscure philosophical and literary heritage. Chiefly, he seeks to correct prior notions of Blake as a self-alienated figure who was almost wholly out of touch with his time. The result is an occasionally unreadable but ultimately significant contribution to Blake scholarship.

The book, meticulous in detail and enormous in scope, is so dense and fraught with an overwhelming amount of research and knowledge that, in the end, it seems Thompson wrote it not for the casual Blake enthusiast but for the Blake scholars with whom he quarrels in frequent disputes. As Thompson himself pauses to note: "I have been engaged, throughout the first part of this book, in an exceedingly difficult argument, and I am not wholly sure myself what this argument adduces." When the author himself has to take a step back to warn the reader that he is not entirely certain of what he is doing, it is a pretty good way of posting up a fat and bold "BEWARE" in plain view of the reader.

Though Thompson seems to have written this book for himself, the radiant intensity with which he attacks his subject makes for a deeply probing text. He even investigates the etymology of Blake's poetic vocabulary to flesh out his suspicion that the foundation for the poet's thought was laid over a century before his birth. In his quest to assign Blake a particular tradition, Thompson often succeeds so well as to contest Blake's very originality. Encouragingly, though, the sheer luminosity, energy and power of Blake's more inspired verse withstands most skepticism. Perhaps Blake's ideas themselves were not as original or isolated as other critics and biographers would have one believe, but we remember him still because of his talent for transforming into stark and masterful art the literary heritage Thompson uncovers.

Thompson concedes that "if Blake read any or all" of the antecedent works he cites as his possible influences, "he read them in his own way. He employs an inherited vocabulary to make statements directly opposed to those authorized by the "Tradition". He appropriates old symbols and turns them to new purposes." Specifically, the tradition Blake is identified with is that of the Antinomians and Muggletonians (I know, sounds like something out of Gulliver's Travels), both of which closely resemble Blake's own beliefs on reason, liberty, the Fall, the book of Genesis, the trinity, desire and the notion that there is no God but man himself. The two sects abound with anticipations of Blake's "mind-forg'd manacles" and "chains of reason." Even Blake's own mother is implicated as a Muggletonian (a marvelous distinction if I've ever heard one).

Because Blake is writing out of this "tradition" Thompson assigns him, the conclusion is that the poet's work "has the confidence, an assured reference, very different from the speculations of an eccentric or a solitary . . . this man does not feel himself to be alone." Gone is the image of a wild-eyed and fierce-jowled eccentric basking in the nude with his wife in their garden (which he did).

For my tastes, the book labors too long over many uninteresting rhetorical debates and theoretical religious arguments between various 17th and 18th century sects. It is in this regard that the book requires a lot of patience, especially since Thompson keeps the reader waiting for any specific discussion of Blake's work until well over one hundred pages into the book. Then again, if learning that "Naamah is sister to Tubal-cain" is the kind of thing that gets you frothing at the mouth for more, then by all means, have at it. The problem is that Thompson seems to be writing two books at once, probing so extensively and thoroughly into Blake's alleged influences as to lose sight of the big picture which, presumably, is Blake's own life and work. The pattern is one in which Thompson will spend an inordinate amount of pages on a few forgotten religious movements in 17th or 18th century London and follow that up with a sudden "hmmm . . . so maybe these were Blake's guys . . . but let us look a little further" sort of thing.

Nonetheless, the reader who refuses to lose sight of the topic at hand as easily as Thompson does at times will come away from the book with a feeling of having really gotten somewhere. In his investigation and analysis Thompson confirms some critical readings of Blake while replacing many others with some well-founded suppositions of his own, offering as clear and meaningful an understanding of Blake as this dramatically ambitious book can possibly allow. His discussion of Blake's prescient use of the word "chartr'd" in "London," one of his most definitive poems, is nothing if not revelatory. The same goes for his discussions of "London's" various influences as well as the prolonged explication of Blake's "The Human Abstract." It is here where Thompson most successfully endorses David Erdman's cause to demonstrate Blake's work as a reaction to the social and political realities of his day. Thompson's love for the poetry itself weans him off of his abstruse historical commentary in favor of a refreshingly plainspoken understanding of the work's origins and issues. Thankfully, this is the warmer tone with which the book concludes; I only wish Thompson could have stayed as close to the ground throughout the book as he does at its final stages.

The Stranger from Paradise: A Biography of William Blake (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in Britis)

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Why Blake Matters
Bentley's Generous Act

The Stranger from Paradise: A Biography of William Blake (Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in Britis)
G.E. Bentley Jr.
Manufacturer: Paul Mellon Centre BA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0300089392

Book Description

William Blake's wife once said of him: "I have very little of Mr. Blake's company; he is always in Paradise." This fascinating and generously illustrated biography of the great English artist, poet, and mystic brings us very much into Blake's company, presenting, often in the words of his contemporaries, almost everything that is known of his life and times.

G.E. Bentley, Jr., tells us that although Blake struggled with the ways of the world in his youth and early manhood, he was always frustrated that these ways were not his own. Instead he spoke the language of radical religious dissent, standing outside the popular political and social conventions of his time and lamenting the power of Church and State. Blake learned to participate in traditions of vision and piety, to exult in the power of the spirit and in visionary art and literature. He created a new gospel of art, other-worldly and fundamentally spiritual, and in his old age, he exhibited a serenity in poverty and a devotion to the realm of the spirit that was revered by his disciples. Blake's life bears the shape of great art itself, says Bentley. From his youthful vaulting ambitions in painting, engraving, poetry, and music, through his mature flirtation with fortune, to his joyful return to the vision and confidence of his youth, Blake's life provides a pattern of noble self-sacrifice and wise self-understanding that is an inspiration to his generation and to ours.

Customer Reviews:

Why Blake Matters.......2004-06-10

This biography concentrates too much on Blake's occupation as an engraver and glosses over his reputation as a poet and visionary. Such a bluntly factual, objective account of Blake seems out of keeping with his spiritual enthusiasm and disdain for the factual (i.e. the physical world). But this book did help me develop an appreciation for Blake. The "Songs of Innocence and of Experience" did not impress me because they seemed to be the epitome of maudlin Christian sentimentality. However, Bentley's biography makes it clear that Blake was not a conventional Christian. I was impressed by the importance Blake placed on the imagination, creativity, and the arts as the true expressions of spirituality and the sublime. I also admire Blake's spirited defense of imagination and the Poetic Genius.

If Blake were alive today I think he would rant against the scholars rather than Empire. The scholars have laid claim to the poet's place in society and the only empire that exists today is the academic empire. Just look at the way a college campus expands and swallows up all the property around itself! It is the scholars who attack men of inspiration and genius because they need to promote poetry as something that can be taught and explicated.

Blake does seem mad when he talks about speaking with angels and spirits but he probably did possess the faculty of a visionary imagination which caused him to express such reverence for the world of imagination, even to the extent of preferring it to the natural world. It reminds me of a quote from Rimbaud, "I came to find my mind's disorder sacred".

Bentley's Generous Act.......2001-06-25

The scholarship that works through this book is obviously one of love and devotion of many many years. Bentley's sorting out of events in Blake's life is amazingly well researched - it is the first Blake biography that does not have that usual blur of focus that leaves one more mystified than enlightened. Blake's contemporaries, friends, enemies, patrons, etc. are all given voice through their own extant letters, articles . . - this contextualizes him beautifully and clears the field of critical debris that has grown out over the centuries. In fact, it is Bentley's sober critical eye (of fairness) which is so refreshing - his sense of balance is impeccable. Only a lifetime lover of Blake could hit so consistently true tones. But if you're arriving to this book looking for critical scholarship of the work and myth than you're walking through the wrong door. This book is not about the minutae of the work (see Northrop Frye for that) - it assumes already that one is also a lover and "understander" of the work. This book is about the man - written and informed, of course, by the man's work, but is a book about Blake's life - not a treatise on Urthona. Yes, I recommend this book. Walk on in and stroll around.

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