WILLIAM BLAKE’S “SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND EXPERIENCE” AS A PRACTICE AND MANIFESTATION OF THE ENGLISH ROMANTIC MOVEMENT

Abstract

The agricultural and industrial revolutions of 18th century changed Britain radically: rural people became urbanized and the social conditions were terrible and inhumane because of the ongoing economic progress of the Imperial Britain. There was a climate of turbulence and instability, the bygone eras were much remembered and recognized as “good old times” by the people and the literary circles. In this age, a group of artists and poets were disillusioned; they believed in the importance of individual and personal experience. They were called romantics. In this study, William Blake’s “Songs of Innocence and Experience” (1789 and 1794) as a manifestation of Romantic Movement in English literature is presented and analyzed in depth six poems form the collection to find out what Blake manifests in terms of poetry, subject matter and style, and how he puts his romantic ideas into action in his poetry. The poems to be analyzed are “Introduction to Songs of Innocence”, “Introduction to Songs of Experience”, “Holy Thursdays” in “Songs of Innocence” and in “Songs of Experience”, “A Poison Tree” and “Earth’s Answer”.

Keywords

• Romanticism,William Blake,Poetry,Songs of Innocence,Songs of Experience

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