Friday, May 15, 2020

Comparing the Works of William Blake and Jonathan Swift Essay

William Blake and Jonathan Swift were writers with specific intentions. Both were concerned about the human condition of their times, and many of these concerns have no resolution today. Both created literary works allowing them to present their point of view in, yet their presentation in society was vastly different. You can read Gulliver’s Travels and understand what Swift’s intends. The story appeals to the sophisticated, well-informed reader who could discern his meaning and appreciate his satirical style. He deals with human nature and its folly. This ability to engage the reader with fantastical stories was his genius. Whereas with Blake, you cannot understand his point of view fully unless you also look at his art. Both created†¦show more content†¦Proceeding from this understanding, it is evident that his work speaks to the type of man he was. Blake rejects empirical reason. He will have no part of the prevailing social and religious conventions, or even the so-called virtuous characteristics of humankind. â€Å"I must create my own system or be enslav’d by another man’s† (Blake 208). This is what he did. Blake designed a method of â€Å"illuminate printing† to render his undeniably religious artistic vision to accompany his lyrical and satirical poems. With the advent of publishing industries and new literary forms like the popular fiction travel narratives, Swift was able to reach a vast audience, whereas, Blake wrote, illustrated, and then published his own works. This labor intensive methodology meant far fewer people had access to his total work. He was radical, witty, and wrote about the disadvantaged. While the work can be appreciated for its satirical style, it is also tempting to ignore direct unpopular topics like child labor. Blake’s work is a total package because it communicates more than ideas. Blake believed that God resides within each human being† (Davis 208), and he invoked the spiritual world with his drawings trying to connect the â€Å"abyss of the five senses† to the divine spirit within (Blake 226). Blake’s art decorated his written word while delivering religious mythology which appears to be firmly rooted in a time before the Enlightenment. It is not possible to properly understand Gulliver’sShow MoreRelatedEssay How Romantic Was William Blake?1517 Words   |  7 Pagesbenefit from the work (Perkins 13). The aforementioned characteristics are what are generally associated with Romantic. However, there must be more than a simple synopsis in an attempt to define what the Romantics were all about. The official definition as seen in the Oxford English Dictionary is, Of a fabulous or fictitious character; having no foundation in fact (OED def 2). Now if in keeping with this definition, are we to assume that the Romantic writers were writing works that had no basis

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