Ooooh, pretty colors!

Next week we tackle one of the most bizarre and fascinating English poets, ever.  Not only was he a bold and unique person, William Blake's work broke new ground and has never been replicated.  I can't really think of a modern poet/artist that combined words and images in such a mind-blowing way like Blake did.

His poems tend to be reprinted textually, which really misses the point.  Blake's illuminated works are meant to be seen as a complete piece of art, not as black letters on a white page.

To better understand the power of Blake's poetry, you need to go to this site on William Blake and scroll down to see The Songs of Innocence and Experience in full color (it wouldn't hurt if you read the introduction and learned something about Blake while you're at it).