Blake

CP Brit Home
(28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age. His prophetic poetry has been said to form "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language". His visual artistry has led one contemporary art critic to proclaim him "far and away the greatest artist Britain has ever produced". Although he lived in London his entire life except for three years spent in Felpham he produced a diverse and symbolically __rich__ corpus, which embraced the imagination as "the body of God", or "Human existence itself". Blake met Catherine Boucher in 1782. At the time, Blake was recovering from a relationship that had culminated in a refusal of his marriage proposal. He recounted the story of his heartbreak for Catherine and her parents, after which he asked Catherine, "Do you pity me?" When she responded affirmatively, he declared, "Then I love you." Blake married Catherine – who was five years his junior – on 18 August 1782 in St. Mary's Church, Battersea. Illiterate, Catherine signed her wedding contract with an 'X'. The original __wedding certificate__ may still be viewed at the church, where a commemorative stained-glass window was installed between 1976 and 1982. Later, in addition to teaching Catherine to read and write, Blake trained her as an engraver. Throughout his life she would prove an invaluable aid to him, helping to print his illuminated works and maintaining his spirits throughout numerous misfortunes.
 * William Blake**

William Blake in an 1807 portrait by [|Thomas Phillips]. ||
 * = [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/William_Blake_by_Thomas_Phillips.jpg/240px-William_Blake_by_Thomas_Phillips.jpg width="240" height="312" link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:William_Blake_by_Thomas_Phillips.jpg"]]

media type="custom" key="14201086" Written by William Blake

All Religions Are One The Argument

As the true meth- -od of knowledge is experiment the true faculty of knowing must be the faculty which experiences, This faculty I treat of.

PRINCIPLE 1st

That the Poetic Genius is the true Man. and that the body or outward form of Man is derived from the Poetic Genius. Likewise that the forms of all things are derived from their Genius. which by the Ancients was call'd an Angel & Spirit & Demon

PRINCIPLE 2nd

As all men are alike in outward form, So (and  with the same infinite  variety) all are alike in  the Poetic Genius

PRINCIPLE 3rd

No man can think write or speak from his heart but he must intend truth. Thus all sects of Philosophy are from the Poetic Genius adapted to the weaknesses of every individual

PRINCIPLE 4.

As none by trave ling over known lands can find out the unknown. So from already ac- -quired knowledge Man could not ac quire more. there fore an universal Poetic Genius exists

PRINCIPLE, 5

The Religions of all Nat- -ons are derived from each Nations different reception of the Poetic Genius which is every where call'd the Spi -rit of Prophecy

PRINCIPLE, 6

The Jewish & Chris- tian Testaments are An original derivati- -on from the Poetic Ge- nius. this is necessary from the confined natu re of bodily sensation

PRINCIPLE 7th

As all men are alike (tho' infintiely vari- ous) So all Religions & as all similars have one source The true Man is the source he being the Poetic Genius

Questions Interpret principle 6, what do you think about his __idea__ of Judaism and Christianity? Do you think that the poetic genius is the creator of all religions?