Any opinions on William Blake?

Nobody on /lit/ has really read him even though he's the most important romantic, even the oldfags around their 30s.

Read him and shill him on /lit/, plz n thx

>>9622711
Love him, but reading a whole bunch of him at once is bewildering.

His almost childishly direct rhythm is infectious and admirable.

>>9622748
Case in point, this dude has barely read past what you can read beyond the norton poetry collection.

I've read the majority of his work, but am too lazy to shill. Also, I hate this place, besides a few people.

Plz do shill him, someone.

>>9622759
Am I supposed to have already read the complete works and the Northrop Frye book? Why are you mad at me?

>>9622711
The songs of Innocence and Experience are amazing poems, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is absolutely splendid, but everything else he did is confusing as fuck. His mythology is tedious, Jerusalem is too damn long, and Blake's insanity really shows...

>>9622765
>songs of innocence
>fuckin William Blake clogging up my iTunes and exceeding my data cap

>>9622764
You just come across as a faggot with superficial and vapid opinions that could be applied vaguely to a great deal of other authors. Kind of like OP asking to be spoonfed.

>>9622825
What kind of 'deep' opinions am I supposed to have? Did the rhythm thing piss you off? Why?

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haven't read much of his poetry but I love his paintings.

>>9622711
I've been wanting to read his work for a while now but I'm only familiar with his paintings. The dude was crazy as a horse and had some great aesthetics.

Which of his works should I get started with?

>>9624123
Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience

One of the most talented artists ever. A master of both writing and painting.

Check this out. You can read colored plates of Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience (you can zoom in if the text is too small). I wrote an essay on these poems back in college, and you actually have to site them as "Plate 1, Plate 2," etc, because these weren't written as books, but as plates. He used the a metal plate with these writings/drawings carved into it as a template--sometimes in black in white, or sometimes in color as in this link (the more expensive version that the rich would request).

https://www.bl.uk/works/songs-of-innocence-and-experience

>Songs of Innocence: A series of child-like, fun, bright poems
>Songs of Experience: A series of adult, more solemn, serious, and reflective poems

They are meant to be read side by side. My favorite is The Tyger.

How demandonf it is for a non-native english speaker?
I can read Keats without much trouble but Shakespeare is a pain in the ass

>>9624409
similar to keats probably, possibly easier. nothing like shakespeare

Great english poet, in company with Shakespeare and Milton, surprised Lit. isnt hotter on him, especially with his spiritual mania and eccentricty

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you need to read his early stuff and his prose, eg the catalogue or his letters, his finest lines are there imo. the guy couldve been a philosopher of the highest sort, but of course he saw that such capacity as his was not to be wasted in such petty endeavour, so he went right. he still had talent for prose.

also, i dont think his prophetic stuff would be of much use if you are not on your side in a similar experience latting your mind build something on its own.

>>9624399
>poetry
6.5/10, a bit simple minded at times and stilted

>meaningfulness
9/10, no one renders his themes as profoundly as him. this is why he's the greatest romantic

>art
5/10, for someone who devoted time into making his art anatomically accurate, they sure come across as mechanical and hollow representations of the human

>>9624434
/lit/ is a moronic collection of sam harris worshipping atheists.

>>9622711
Love how he combined visual story telling with poetry.

Does the complete poems by Penguin Books also have his paintings or is it just the poems on text?

>>9622711
Blake's mythopoeic universe is a huge inspiration for a lot of what we would consider middle and lower brow fantasy fiction today. Having said this, his ability to develop themes and his technical acumen is incredible and he is easily one of the most significant 'literary' poets, especially given his role in helping to found the Romantic discourse.

>>9624691
Good post

>>9624656
>>9624498
>>9624422
>>9624409
>>9624031
Shit

>>9624656
It's just text, with a few tiny black-and-white reproductions in the back. Wouldn't recommend.

>>9626466
yeah, i figured
I'll just get The Complete Illuminated Books then, i'm of the firm opinion you're only getting half the experience if you only have the text when it comes to Blakey.

>>9622798
kek

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>>9622711
Why do autistic film makers and serial killers like William Blake so much?

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>>9627066
muh aesthetic