Blake in the Nineties

Following on from Historicizing Blake (1994), Blake in the Nineties grapples with the implications of the new bibliography for Blake studies, in its editorial, interpretative and historical dimensions. The 1990s have witnessed a major reassessment of Blake, initiated by a new and more rigorous comprehension of his modes of production, which in turn has led to a re-evaluation of other literary and cultural contexts for his work. Central areas of concern are the material constraints of the practising artist, and their aesthetic and existential consequences; relevant generic contexts in Protestant hymnody, Miltonic performatives and Lockean metaphor; and ground-breaking new research on potential contexts of reception (Swedenborgian and Masonic, radical artisan, pacifist pamphleteering and the circle of Rebekah Bliss, the first-known collector of Blake's work). As well as providing an international overview of recent Blake criticism, including such distinguished contributors as Robert N. Essick, Nelson Hilton and Joseph Viscomi, the volume makes a significant contribution to current debates in a variety of disciplines dealing with the Romantic period, including art history, counter-Enlightenment scholarship, theology and hermeneutic theory.