Blake, Nation and Empire

This book examines Blake's work in the context of discourses of nation and empire, of the construction of a public sphere, and restores the longevity to his artistic career by placing emphasis on his work in the 1820s. Relevant contexts include technology, sentimentalism, Ireland and Catholic Emancipation, missionary prospectuses and body politics.

This book examines Blake's work in the context of discourses of nation and empire, of the construction of a public sphere, and restores the longevity to his artistic career by placing emphasis on his work in the 1820s. Relevant contexts include technology, sentimentalism, Ireland and Catholic Emancipation, missionary prospectuses and body politics.

List of Illustrations Preface Notes on the Contributors Abbreviations Introduction; S.Clark & D.Worrall Immortal Joy: William Blake and the Cultural Politics of Empire; S.Makdisi Thel in Africa; D.Worrall Bloody Blake: Nation and Circulation; J.Mee Blake, Hayley and the History of Sexuality; S.Matthews Blake and the Syntax of Sentiment: An essay on 'Blaking' Understanding; J.Chandler National Arts and Disruptive Technologies in Blake's Prospectus of 1793; M.Eaves 'What is Liberty without Universal Toleration': Blake Homosexuality and the Cooperative Commonwealth; C.Z.Hobson Restoring the Nation: Blake and the Aftermyth of Revolution; A.Lincoln Jerusalem as Imperial Prophecy; S.Clark The Matter of Britain: Blake, Milton and the Ancient Britons; J.Whittaker Erin, Ireland, and the Emanation in Blake's Jerusalem ; R.N.Essick Blake After Blake: A Nation Discovers Genius; J.Viscomi Blake Bibliography Index