Choice reviews Blake

M. Klein, Quincy University

"With this provacative, powerfully argued, and elegantly written study, Wright (Wilfrid Laurier Univ.) makes a significant contribution to efforts to enlarge Blake's reputation by exploring some of the less emphasized and less understood strands of thought in some of his works. She treats Poetical Sketches, The Laocoön, the so-called Lambeth Prophesies (Europe, America), Visions of the Daughters of Albion, Milton, and Jerusalem and convincingly establishes that Blake argues for a richer conception of the relationship of an individual within a community, be it family, culture, nation, or empire. Contextualizing Blake's work in terms of dominant trends in art theory and the influences on British nationalism of the cultures of classical Greece and Rome, she looks at Blake's subtle and historical context. And she does a remarkable job of elucidating the radical views Blake conveyed with stylistic choices that embody his contention in the cultural values of his culture. Wright emphasizes one important effect of Blake's disorienting style: creation of an active rather than a passive reader. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above.

Choice
November 2004