Author(s): Kathleen Raine

Routledge Classics

Blake was a visionary like no other. To some, like William Wordsworth, the only explanation for the remarkable spiritual world Blake witnessed and brought to life in his books was 'insane genius'. Such a view persisted well into the twentieth century. But could madness really be the only explanation for Blake's creations? Blake and Antiquity is the pivotal work which challenged such a view and changed forever our understanding of William Blake's genius. Through meticulous research into his visual and literary sources, Kathleen Raine, one of the world's finest poets, restores Blake to the esoteric tradition with which he was so familiar. As this fully illustrated work makes clear, it is only by appreciating his place within that tradition that any true appreciation of Blake's art and poetry can take place. For many this book will be a revelation; for lovers of Blake it is indispensable.