Spiritual History: A Reading of William Blake's Vala, Or The Four ZoasSpiritual History presents a much-needed introduction to The Four Zoas, a guide which will also be of great interest to those already familiar with the poem. This is the first full-length study to examine in detail Blake's numerous manuscript revisions. It offers a staged reading, one that moves, as Blake himself moved, from simpler to more complex forms of writing. Andrew Lincoln reads the poem in the light of two competing views of history: the biblical, which places history within the framework of Fall and Judgement, and that of the enlightenment, which sees history in terms of progress from primitive life to civil order. His reading offers an account of the poem that is more coherent - and accessible - than many previous accounts. Blake's much misunderstood poem emerges as the most extraordinary product of the eighteenth-century tradition of philosophical history. |
Contents
A History of the Cosmos | 31 |
Breaking the Bounds of Destiny | 71 |
A Vision of Progress | 89 |
The Progress of Prophecy | 109 |
The Progress of Reason | 124 |
The Human Abstract | 142 |
The Progress of Empire | 161 |
Common terms and phrases
activity Adam Ahania appears attempt becomes begins Beulah Bible biblical Blake's myth Blake's narrative body brotherhood Caverns chaos Christian civilization consciousness context copperplate text cosmos creation creative dark daughters death delight descends desire Discourse on Inequality divine Donald Ault emergence emphasizes Empire energy Enion Enitharmon Erdman error Eternal fall fallen world fear Felpham finite Four Zoas Golgonooza heavens human imaginative individual influence innocence inspiration Jahwist Jerusalem Jesus labour Last Judgement limited London Los's Luvah Man's manuscript material world mercy Milton's Mystery natural world Night Thoughts Orc's Oxford Paradise Lost passions pity poem primitive progress prophet providence Rahab realm reason recalls redemption relationship religion repression revisions Revolution Satan seems seen selfhood sense sequence Shadowy Female shows social Song Spectre Spectre's spirit suggests symbolism Tharmas thou tion transformation tree of Mystery universal Urizen Urthona Vala Vala's vision vols William Blake