William Blake :
Long describes Blake as:
"The first and most independent of the romantic poet"
Born: 28 November,1757
Died: 12 August,1827
Blake's Life:
William Blake was a visionary English poet,painter,and printmaker of Romantic era.
Blake's Life considered "simple","boring"when compared to the lives of his contemporaries(Coleridg,Shelley,Keats)
Married to the same woman most of his life.
Never travelled
Blake's Life considered "simple","boring"when compared to the lives of his contemporaries(Coleridg,Shelley,Keats)
Married to the same woman most of his life.
Never travelled
Blake is included in the early Romantic Poets along with Burns and Cowper.
Blake wrote in the latter half of the 18th century when Neoclassicism was still dominant.
Unlike other poets of his time,Blake ignored the rules of classical poetry and followed his own mystical visions.
His poetry is seen as symbolic and difficult to interpret,but full of spiritual depth.
Songs of innocence (1789)
Blake's best known works.
He highlighted the contrast between the innocence of childhood and the harshness of adult experience ,he also points to be the deep philosophical ideas beneath them.
A collection of lyrical poems celebrating childhood,nature and innocence and the divine presence in the world.
Themes:
Innocence vs Experience
Spirituality, Vision, Imagination
"He was a mystic and visionary,living in a world of imagination rather than of reality"
William J Long
Famous Poems:
1)The Lamb
2)Holy Thursday
3)The Chimney Sweeper
4)Songs of Experience
5)The Tyger
6)The Poison Tree
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell(1790-93)
Blake's Wife:
Married Catherine Boucher in 1782.
They were married until his death in 1827.
She consisted with the printing and hand coloring of his poems.
Conclusion:
William Blake was not just a poet but a visionary artist and thinker who broke away from the rationalism and classical forms of his time.His works mark the early stirring of the Romantic movement, focusing on imagination, spirituality, individual freedom and the inner conflicts of the human soul.
In essence, Blake's poetry teaches us that to understand the world and the self,we must go beyond surface reality into the realms of vision imagination and the soul.
Robert Burns
"Burns as a powerful voice of the common people and of the earliest figures in the Romantic Revival"
Born:1759,in Alloway,Scotland
Died:1796(at age 37)
Background:
A poor Scottish Farmer,Burns educated himself while doing hard physical labour
Long describes Burns as:
"The greatest song writer in the world and as poet who interpreted the feelings of the common people with rare honesty and passion "
Key points about Robert Burns:
Voice of the Common Man:
Burns is celebrated as the"poet of the poor" capturing the emotions,joys and struggles of ordinary Scottish people.
Long says Burns "put into song the hopes and fears of a whole people"especially farmers and laborers.
Simplicity and Sincerity:
Long emphasizes the naturalness, simplicity and emotional depths of Burn's poetry.
Uses of Scottish Dialect:
Burn's poems were often written in the scouts vernacular.
Lyrical Genius:
"Burn's songs are the very soul of Scotland "
National and Emotional Patriotism:
Burns considered Scotland's national poet,and his poetry reflects love for country, nature,liberty and human brotherhood.
Famous Works:
1)Auld Lang Syne
2)To a Mouse
3)The Cotter's Saturday Night
4)A Man's aMan for a That
Themes:
Common life, Love, Liberty, Nature,Human Dignity.
Conclusion:
Robert Burns stands out as a natural genius, whose heartfelt poetry bridges the gap between the age of Reason and Romanticism.
Though simple in language and rural in background, Burn's songs and verses reflect universal themes of love, freedom, compassion and humanity, making him a lasting literary voice not only Scotland but all people who value sincerity and soul in poetry.
Refrencese:
.jpeg)
