Re: wisdom again
James J Rovira (jrovira@juno.com)
Wed, 02 Jun 1999 21:08:21 -0400 (EDT)
I have to go back and read the flower poems...It seems like neither
innocence nor experience are worthy states in Blake, but I always saw Old
John as being the goal...the return to innocence after passing through
experience. You are innocent once again, but not naive.
I see Blake as criticizing the establishment of Reason above all other
faculties and uses Heaven and Angels as symbols of reason, while Hell,
etc, the Tyger, are symbols of passion, fire, the body, emotions, etc.
Thus to be whole you need both -- perhaps the true meaning of the
marriage of heaven and hell :)
But each are given its own voice, and each perspective by itself is
limited.
Course, I do think Blake has more fun poking at reason with Hell :)
Jim
On Wed, 02 Jun 1999 10:19:17 -0400 (EDT) jason varsoke
<jjv@caesun.msd.ray.com> writes:
>yes, but Swedenborg is parodied for expressing the virtues of Heaven
>in
>Blake's peice, not Hell. Hell is the virtuious force in the piece. I
>didn't get the impression that the Hell being virtuious was satire.
>Evidence to support this: he satires just he opposite views in his
>songs
>of innocence and experience. I'm thinking of the flower poems really
>--
>about the virgin who dies without reaching the sun and so on.
>
>-j
>On Tue, 1 Jun 1999, James J Rovira wrote:
>
>>
>> Gotta be careful what you say about Blake from his Marriage of
>Heaven and
>> Hell -- that was satire directed toward his former guru Swedenborg
>who
>> had a book out by the same title...
>>
>> Jim
>>
>> >hmm probably not Blake, considering "Songs of Innocence and
>> >Experience"
>> >and "Marriage of Heaven and Hell." He basically indicates his
>belief
>> >that the beastial pleasures, and excess, are the paths to
>> >enlightnment.
>> >
>> >-j
>> >
>
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