The Literature Network - Arts: The A-Z of William Blake

Arts: The A-Z of William Blake - F is for The French Revolution

Content courtesy of

From: The Independent - London
Date: 20001111
Author:Kevin Jackson

ONLY A fragment of Blake's epic poem on the French Revolution has survived; and even that (despite the optimistic declaration on Blake's title page that it was "Printed for J Johnson, No 72 St Paul's Churchyard MDCCXCI") remained unpublished until 1913 - possibly because Mr Johnson thought it best not to bring down charges of sedition, or possibly because the Revolution did not develop as Blake had foreseen.

In the words of early biographer Gilchrist, Blake "was a vehement republican and sympathiser with the Revolution... To him, it was the herald of the Millennium, of a new age of light and ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Other Articles on William Blake

William Blake and the Body.(Book Review)

Blake, William: William Blake: A Literary Life.(Brief article)(Book review)

UnReading1 William Blake's Marginalia

Xerox Research Allows Web Visitors to View Richer, More Colorful Images; Technology Used to Enhance Online Archive of William Blake's Work.

Blake's Auguries of Innocence, the French Revolution, and London.(William Blake)(Critical Essay)

William Blake's Sexual Path to Spiritual Vision.(Brief article)(Book review)

Blake, William.(The Stranger From Paradise: A Biography of William Blake)(Brief Article)(Book Review)

Frozen Fire - The Visionary World of William Blake.

Unbound from wrath: Orc and Blake's crisis of vision in 'The Four Zoas.' (William Blake)

"One must be master": patronage in Blake's 'Vala.' (William Blake)

Find More Articles

About Our Articles: We've partnered with Highbeam Research to provide these article excerpts for your research needs. However, due to copyright laws, we cannot publish the whole article. To view these articles in full length you'll need to use the link above to access the free trial at Highbeam.