Blake's Apocalypse

455 Pages·1963·4.36 MB·English

by  Harold Bloom

Blake's
Apocalypse
Othbeoro bkysH aroBlldo om
SHELL'SE MYYTHMAKING
THEV ISIONCAORMYP A:N Y
A ReadoifnE gn glRisohm anPtoice try
Editor
ENGLIRSOHM ANTPIOCE TRY:
AnA nthology
THEW INDA NDT HER AIN
(wiJtohh Hno llander)
Blake's
Apocalypse
A STUDIYN P OETICAR GUMENT
BY
HARO LD BLOOM
Thelseea avretesh p eo etmh,ie c oannt dh mea n.
Theasreae c uroeft hger ouanndod f o usrelves,
Int he predtichaetisre ne o tthheailtns ge .
WALLACSET EVENS
1963
DOUBLEDAY & COMPANY,I NC.
GARDEN CITY,N EW YORK
LibroafCr oynr gess CCaatrNadul mobg6e 3r- 8741
Copyr©i 1g9h6t3b yH aroBlldo om
AlRli ghRtess erved
Prinitnte hdUe n itSetda otfeA sm erica
FirEsdti tion
For
JEANNE

Contnets
PREFACE 9
I• THEM INOPRO EMS 11
1 PoetSikceatlcT hheYeso :u nBgl ake 13
2 EarTlrya cts: NatuIrmaalg iRnealtiiog2ni3 o n and
3 TirTiheVelo :i cteh Weii nl derness 30
4 TheP astIomraagle : 36
SongIsn noocfe nce 36
\
TheB oookfT hel 51
5 RevolauntPdir oonp hecy: 63
TheF renRcehv olution 63
ThMea rroiafHg eea vaennHd e ll 69
A SonogfL iberty 96
6 TormenotfLs o vaen Jde al:o usy 99
TheN otebPoooekm s 99
Visiooftns hD ea ughotfAe lrbsi on 101
7 TheP rophoefOc r:ye 171
AmerAi cPar,o phecy 171
Sonogfs Experience 129
•
EuroAp Per,o phecy 146
TheS onogfL os 161
8 EternRaelcr uernTcheeO: rCey ec:l 164
TheB oookfU rizen 164
TheB oookfA hania 176
TheB oookfL os 181
8 CONTENTS
IIT HEl'v iAJPOORE MS 178
•
9 ThFei srEtp iVca:lo arT, h Feo uZro as 198
The ComMpylteht ed 189
Creati:o n-Fall
NighFta olIlfT, h armas 193
NigIh,ItF aolflL uvah 209
NigIhItFI a,ol flU rizen 222
StruogfgCl oenst raries:
NigIhVtT, h Mei ssoifLo ons 229
NigVh,Tt h eO rCey cle Begins 231
NigVhItT, h eD enosfU rizen 235
ThresohfRo elcdo :v ery
NigVhItIF ,ir Vsetro snCi.r isis 244
NigVhItIL ,a tVeerr sCiuolnm.i natio2n4 6
NigVhItIT Ih,Ae s hoefMs y stery 265
NigIhXtT, h eLa sJtu dgment 266
10L atPeore mfsr otmh Neo tebaonodk
thPei ckeMrainnugs cript 285
"MySp ecatrroeum nend i g&h dta y" 258
TheG oldNeent 288
ThMee ntTarlav eller 289
TheC rystCaalb inet 297
AuguorfiI ensn ocence 301
11P reltuod eA pposcMeai:ll yton 3°4
BooIkM, i ltDoens'cse nt 3°4
Book II,P uMriglattoino'ns 341
12B lakEep':iJs ce rusalem 356
ChapItO,ef Tr h Sel eoefAp l bion 356
ChaeprIt IT,h eT errSiebplaer ation 39
°
ChapItI,eT Irh eS hadoFweyma Tlrei'usm ph4 02
ChapItVeL,ro s-Blake-Jesus 416
ConucsliTohneO: l Bdl ake 434
NOTES 437
INDEX 445
Prfeaec
Thibso ookff earnsi ntrodsutcuotdfotyr h aye r gumoefBn lta ke's
poetIhr ayv.ee m phasthiozeselede mtehnamttas k e Blake's poems
morteh adno cunmtiesns piriotriu natle lhliescttcouoryan:lt inuity
thiaasts subruoetfd t neondt i scuproslietvmheiia;cmts a stbeurtl y
oftneonpt h ilosospthytilhceaia tsli d;ni viadnuedax lu berant.
Blakmea'jpsoo re omfst aernde i scuassis tfeh dew ye rneo pto ems
ata lslot, h Iah ta vael lomwyesdte hlpefe rhsauepprse rofguantco­ry
tioofin n dicattihneagyr b ewea huetribefye u vli,d ehnocwaim nags ­
terdfeuslii csga nr rtiherhdoi ungtthome i nuatret icuolfa teiaocnhs
poem.
Thpeo eamrsse t udhieeirdnet hepirro boarbdloeefcr o mposition,
witohn lafy e w excMeoprttehi aohnna tslh.fbi oso ikgs i vteotn h e
examinoafTt hieoF no uZro aMsi,l taonndJ, al,eB lake's
erus m
epiIctfsh .pi rso poirmsti isotnia tkb eeincs a euvsemeno reem phasis
shouhladv e gbievteeontn h emsaej poore mfsot,rh eayrB el ake's
best.
Ih avsel ighteidl lBulsattkorhe ai'tssi oennsg ratvheodu gpho ems,
tod os o tiog soa gaiBnlsatki en'tse natniadog nasiw nhsaittns o w
thaec cevpiteeawdm onBgl askceh oBllaarkspe.o' esm s, especially
hiesp isceset,mo m et he pboeesittnrE y n glsiisnMhci el ton, but
aboBulta kiel'lsu smtryja dutgimoeinnusstn cerStoamoiefnt .h em
seetmom ev erpyo wersfoumdleon, o btu;I ta mi na ncya sneo t
qualtiocfi reidt tihceiAsmz a.ec riIth iacvt er iteobd et rtuoem y
owne xperiinre enacdeai nnedgn joBylianfkgoefi r f teena nyde ars,
mye xperiiste hnatcthep e o eamrsue s uaqluliiytn ed epeonfd ent
theiilrl ustCroanttvirioaenrytws oms. y ocwanbn ef ouvneder ya sily
anIdd on oste etokc onvaenrytot nome y judogntm heminastt ter;
thdee tarielaeddti hnafgtos l lforwoS,mo nogfIs n noctehnrcoeu gh
Jerusaarloeeff me,ra esjd u stififcomray tp iroonc edure.