William Blake

LEARNING UNIT

William Blake

Pag. XX

Pag. XX

Pag. XX

definition of romanticism

process and task

introduction

Index

introduction01

English Romanticism is a cultural and artistic movement that developed in the late 18th century and early 19th century. The romanticism influencing literature, music, art and philosophy in England. This movement was born after the French Revolution that have an important impact on Romanticism influencing the ideas. The principal ideals that romanticism took from the French Revolution were: Ideals of liberty and equality: During the French Revolution he promoted the idea that everyone should have natural rights and freedoms; the people and their ideals of social justice became important themes in Romantic literature. The French Revolution had shown that the people could rebel. This revolutionary spirit is present in Romantic literature, which deals with themes such as oppression, liberation and equality Antagonism against authority and tradition: Romanticism is inspired by the French break with traditional structures of power, rejecting absolute monarchy, in fact the Romantics saw in this an opportunity to express their individuality and to claim greater creative freedom.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

English Romanticism

In 1779, at the age of 21, Blake completed his seven-year apprenticeship and became an expert copy engraver, and began working on designs for book and print publishers. In the same year he was accepted into the design schools of the Royal Academy of Art, where he began to exhibit his work. In 1800, Blake accepted an invitation from the poet William Hayley to move to the small village of Felpham and work as his protégé. There he taught himself Greek, Latin, Italian and Hebrew, but in 1803 Blake was charged with assault and sedition, alleging that he had cursed the king, by attacking a soldier. Blake was distressed, uncertain of his fate, but, returning to London, he was acquitted in 1804. In the last years of his life, Blake suffered from an undiagnosed illness that he called "that disease for which there is no name". He died on 12 August 1827.

William Blake was born on November 28, 1757 in London, England. He was raised religiously by his mother at home, and the Bible was a major influence on Blake and inspired him throughout his life. Blake was very good at drawing, and at the age of 10, he was enrolled in Henry Pars' drawing school. At a young age, Blake began to have visions, and his friend and journalist Henry Crabb Robinson wrote that Blake saw the head of God appear in a window when Blake was 4 years old.

William Blake

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Unit 01

Here are some of William Blake's major works: Songs of Innocence and of Experience : This is one of Blake's most famous works and is a collection of poems divided into two parts: -Songs of Innocence: explores purity, childish joy and the ideal vision of life -Songs of Experience: deals with the corruption, suffering and hardships of adult life, revealing a darker and more complex world. Among the most famous poems in this collection are The Lamb and The Tyger, which show the contrast between the divine and the terrible in nature. 2. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790-1793) is a philosophical text that reflects Blake's radical thinking. In this essay, Blake explores the dichotomy between the good and the male, heaven and hell, and suggests that these concepts are not separate, but connected. Blake uses a series of allegorical visions to challenge the moral and religious conventions of the time, arguing that energy and passion, often associated with evil, are necessary to achieve true understanding. 5. Milton: A Poem (1804-1810) is dedicated to John Milton, the author of Paradise Lost. In Milton: A Poem, Blake describes the struggle between reason and imagination. In this work Milton is seen as a symbol of the struggle for spiritual freedom 6. Jerusalem (1804-1820) Jerusalem is one of Blake's most important and complex works. It is an epic poem that deals with religious, political and spiritual themes. Blake imagines a "Jerusalem" that must be built on Earth, symbolizing the creation of a new spiritual reality. The poem is a mix of philosophy, theology and Blake's personal visions of the transformation of humanity and overcoming the conflicts between reason and imagination.

William Blake's major works:

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Unit 01

the image shown in the document is "wanderer above the Sea of Fog", painted in 1818 by the german artist: Caspar David Friendrich

Interpretation and Reflections

process and task 02

• What does it make you think or feel? The image evokes a sense of mystery and introspection. The wanderer seems lost in thought as he gazes at the foggy horizon, symbolizing the unknown and the infinite. • What emotions does it convey? The scene conveys solitude, freedom, and contemplation. The figure stands above nature but also appears small in comparison to its vastness. • What does it represent? The painting represents one of the central themes of Romanticism: the contrast between man and the overwhelming power of nature.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Graphic Organizer: “Questions, Observations, Connections, and Surprises”

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Unit 02

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Definition of Romanticism03

Romantic means emotional, imaginative, and connected to beauty or nature. Romanticism was a movement that valued emotion, nature, and individual expression.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

There are many things we consider Romantic. In music, songs like Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers or My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion express deep emotions. In literature, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë capture love and passion. Romantic films, such as Titanic or The Notebook, tell powerful love stories. Art also reflects romance, like The Kiss by Gustav Klimt. Even places, like a quiet beach at sunset or a walk under the stars, can create a deeply romantic atmosphere.

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

places

a sunset on a quiet beach

art

kiss by gustav klimt

film

titanic

books

pride and prejudice

song

Unit 03

unchained melody

TEXT

1. What inspired Romantic poets? Romantic poets were inspired by nature, individual emotions, imagination, mysticism, nationalism, and a reaction against rationalism and industrialization. They sought freedom in artistic expression and found meaning in intense personal experiences. 2. Who are some famous Romantic poets? Some well-known Romantic poets include William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, John Keats, Friedrich Schiller, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Victor Hugo, Walt Whitman, and Edgar Allan Poe. 3. Have you heard of them before? Where? Yes, we have heard of them in literature classes, books, and movies. Some of their works, like Frankenstein (influenced by Romantic ideas) or The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, are well-known. 4. What makes Romanticism different from previous types of writing? Romanticism focused on emotion, individualism, nature, and the supernatural, unlike neoclassicism, which emphasized reason, order, and structure. Romantic poets rejected strict rules and embraced imagination and freedom. 5. What was the relationship like between Romantic poets? Many Romantic poets had close friendships and influenced each other’s work. For example, Wordsworth and Coleridge collaborated on “Lyrical Ballads,” while Byron, Shelley, and Keats were connected through mutual inspiration. Some poets, like Byron and Shelley, had passionate and rebellious lifestyles that reflected their ideals

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

question

We know you like so much Shakespeare, what do you think it makes him so special ? and we are curious if you think you are better than him "Shakespeare, ah! A spirit of boundless genius, a soul who wove the fabric of human nature into words as the stars weave the heavens into light. He saw the world as it is, in all its beauty and terror, its love and cruelty. But I? I do not merely see the world—I see beyond it. Where he mastered the drama of men, I strive to reveal the visions of eternity. Better than him? Such measures are for those who count gold, not those who count the sparks of divine fire. Shakespeare was a king of men; I am a prophet of the infinite." How do you felt when u were writing the masterpiece “songs of Innocance” "When I wrote Songs of Innocence, my heart was as light as a child’s laughter, and my soul danced among angels. I sought to capture the purity of the world as seen through untainted eyes—the world before experience clouds the vision. Every line was a hymn to joy, to the gentle whispers of nature, to the divine love that cradles all living things. Yet, even then, I knew that innocence does not last, that experience would come as a shadow. And so, I prepared my hand for the darker verses yet to come."

What do you think about Loneliness ? Loneliness, like all states of the soul, is a double-edged blade. To the man whose mind is confined by the world’s narrow measures, it is a prison. But to the visionary, it is a door to the infinite. Solitude allows the imagination to soar, unchained by the voices of the many. Have I not walked among angels in my isolation? Have I not seen eternity in a grain of sand? Loneliness is not the absence of others, but the presence of the self—if one dares to truly see." "What is the true nature of imagination? In your works its always mentionated "Imagination is not mere fancy, nor a trick of the mind—it is the very breath of the divine within us. It is through imagination that we see beyond the veil of matter, that we touch eternity and shape the world with our visions. To create is to commune with the infinite, to see as the prophets saw. Those who live only by the senses are bound in chains; those who awaken their imagination walk among the gods."

interviste

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

realized by clara lucio salvo