Brahma in the West : William Blake and the Oriental renaissance / David Weir.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Weir, David, 1947 April 20-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Blake, William, 1757-1827--Knowledge--Mythology.

Blake, William.

Blake, William, 1757-1827--Knowledge--India.

Blake, William, 1757-1827. Four Zoas.

Blake, William, 1757-1827--Religion.

Brahma (Hindu deity) in literature.

English poetry--Indic influences.

English poetry.

Orientalism in literature.

Hinduism in literature.

Hindu mythology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (185 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Albany, NY : State University of New York Press, c2003.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Examining William Blake's poetry in relation to the mythographic tradition of the eighteenth century and emphasizing the British discovery of Hindu literature, David Weir argues that Blake's mythic system springs from the same rich historical context that produced the Oriental Renaissance. That context includes republican politics and dissenting theology—two interrelated developments that help elucidate many of the obscurities of Blake's poetry and explain much of its intellectual energy. Weir shows how Blake's poetic career underwent a profound development as a result of his exposure to Hindu mythology. By combining mythographic insight with republican politics and Protestant dissent, Blake devised a poetic system that opposed the powers of Church and King.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Figures

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

Politics

Mythography

Theology

Postscript

Mythographic Material from Joseph Priestley’s Comparison of the Institutions of Moses with those of the Hindoos

Synopsis of The Four Zoas

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 159-164) and index.

ISBN:

0-7914-8640-0

1-4175-0691-1

OCLC:

55210292