Blake: The Complete Poems (Longman Annotated English Poets) - Softcover

Stevenson, W.H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1405832800 ISBN 13: 9781405832809

Publisher: Longman, 2007

Synopsis

Blake is undoubtedly one of the greatest lyricists in English poetry, yet his work is often complex and obscure. Many readers will be unfamiliar with the various political, social, religious, artistic, academic and literary issues that dominated Blake’s time. Alongside his involvement in radical politics Blake was fascinated by popular unscientific conjecture about the history of the British people after the Flood. Influenced by contemporary issues and long-forgotten fads, was often infused with an anger that was the product of personal arguments. Consequently, the style of Blake's narrative verse is not always easy to appreciate.

This, the second edition of the acclaimed Blake: The Complete Poems, remains unrivalled for the basic and detailed information it provides for interpreting the poems. The text is clear with a minimum of the 'turned' lines that make Blake's narratives so awkward to read.

 

This new edition will be illustrated in full colour with some of Blake’s visionary paintings and designs, in order to highlight to readers the full breadth of Blake’s genius. The inclusion of these plates sets this volume apart from all other editions.

About this title

About the Author

W. H. Stevenson is retired Professor of English at Calabar University, Nigeria.

From the Back Cover

William Blake (1757-1827) is one of the great figures in literature, by turns poet, artist and visionary. Profoundly libertarian in outlook, Blake's engagement with the issues of his day is well known and this - along with his own idiosyncratic concerns - flows through his poetry and his art. Like Milton before him, the prodigality of his allusions and references is little short of astonishing. Consequently, his longer visionary  poems can challenge the modern reader, who will find in this avowedly open edition all they might need to interpret the poetry.

W. H. Stevenson's Blake is a masterpiece of scrupulous scholarship. It is, as the editor makes clear in his introduction, 'designed to be widely, and fluently, read' and this Third Edition incorporates many changes to further that aim. Many of the headnotes have been rewritten and the footnotes updated. The full texts of the early prose tracts, All Religions are One and There is No Natural Religion, are included for the first time. In many instances, Blake's capitalisation has been restored, better to convey the expressive individuality of his writing. In addition, a full colour plate section contains a representation of Blake's most significant paintings and designs. As the 250th anniversary of his birth approaches, Blake has perhaps more readers than ever before; Blake: The Complete Poems will stand those readers, new and old, in good stead for many years to come.

W. H. Stevenson worked on the first edition while Professor of English at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, where he also conducted the only known performance in Nigeria of Donizetti's opera, 'l'elisir d'amore'. Later he was Full Professor at Boston University, USA, and head of the Department of English at Calabar, Nigeria. He has also taught at Leeds and Edinburgh Universities.

 

Edition details

• Publisher: Longman
• Publication date: 2007
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1405832800
• ISBN 13: 9781405832809
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 976