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Abstract

This dissertation, "Falling in Blake: The creation of a revolutionary religious motif" considers the importance of imagery of falling as it appears within William Blake's poems The First Book of Urizen (1794) and Milton (1810). My main aims in this work are to examine how Blake uses such images to create a revolutionary religious motif, whilst also arguing the usefulness of falling as a theme for increasing an understanding of the revolutionary religious ideas of his late works. In addition, this text debates the ways in which Blake uses falling to both present the tenets of his religious motif and to denounce contemporary religious concepts that he disagreed with. I begin analysis by comparing images of falling from a strictly biblical perspective, before eventually moving to consider broader concepts of falling and fragmentation within the poems.

In evaluating the presence of a revolutionary religious motif I have had to consider two important contexts throughout discussion. Firstly, the historical context is salient in this thesis as Blake was surrounded by both revolutionary imagery and notable religious constraint at the time. Such conditions are seminal in the creation of his falling motif. Secondly, Blake's writings are encompassed by a rich critical history which blossomed extensively within the 20th century. It was impossible to write on Blake without both inspecting this criticism and situating my work within it. As this work vets falling as a literary motif, the texts of literary theorists like Mark Ryan who explore the presence of motifs within Blake's poems have been studied. Moreover, due to the religious nature of my work, I have utilised criticism that compares Blake's poetry to contemporary biblical practice and authorship.

These considerations have allowed me to reach the conclusion that Blake uses images of falling in his prophetic books to present a revolutionary motif of rebirth which espouses a personal and spiritual engagement with faith that is not bound by societal law.

Course: English and History - BA (Hons) - C1095

Date Deposited: 2020-02-10

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13532.html