------------------------------ Content-Type: text/plain blake-d Digest Volume 1996 : Issue 2 Today's Topics: Re: Collected/Selected Blake's Re: Blake texts New discussion list Re: introduction Re: introduction Re: introduction Re: introduction Intro Blake & Kabbalah Re: introduction Re: Brief introduction Re: Brief introduction Re: Brief introduction Re: Blake & Kabbalah ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jan 1996 05:36:07 -0600 (CST) From: Suzanne Araas Vesely To: blake@albion.com Cc: BLAKE@albion.com Subject: Re: Collected/Selected Blake's Message-Id: Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII I am surprised that no one has yet mentioned the norton selected blake, commentary by johnson and grant. It is reasonably priced, has some nice color pictures, good, clear commentary, and fairly thorough introduction to blake for undergraduates, I think. Regards, Suzanne Araas Vesely ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jan 1996 08:33:26 -0600 From: cerackowitz@mail.utexas.edu (Chad E. Rackowitz) To: blake@albion.com Subject: Re: Blake texts Message-Id: <199601101433.IAA13540@mail.utexas.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Both of the Oxford reproductions you mention were last reprinted in 1992. I've seen them in various bookstores since then. And you are right--they are superior to the Dover editions, which I have as well. >Are the Oxford reproductions of Marriage of Heaven and Hell and Songs of Inn >& Exp out of print? Those were certainly superior to the Dover editions as I >recall. > Cheers, Chad E. Rackowitz University of Texas at Austin cerackowitz@mail.utexas.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 10 Jan 1996 20:11:40 -0800 From: Joe Aimone To: abow0001@GOLD.TC.UMN.EDU Subject: New discussion list Message-Id: <199601110411.UAA04689@guilder.ucdavis.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Please reproduce this announcement freely. Announcement: Discussion list for graduate students in the modern languages E-Grad is intended principally as a sheltered but open forum for the concerns of graduate students in the modern languages. It is maintained by members of the Graduate Student Caucus, an allied organization of the MLA. As an allied organization, GSC does not represent the MLA. Rather, it is a group of its members, who are graduate students. You do not need to be a member of the MLA or the GSC to subscribe to E-Grad. 1) Send a message to listproc@listproc.bgsu.edu 2) Leave everything else blank except for a line in the message section with: subscribe e-grad firstname lastname 3) Shortly after that, you'll get a welcome message which you might want to save. If you have problems or questions, please feel free to e-mail me (Alan Rea) at alan@bgnet.bgsu.edu and I'll be more than happy to help. -- Joe Aimone Department of English University of California, Davis joaimone@ucdavis.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Jan 1996 18:12:05 +0800 (SST) From: LIM WEE CHING To: tomdill@womenscol.stephens.edu Cc: blake@albion.com Subject: Re: introduction Message-Id: Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Tue, 9 Jan 1996 tomdill@womenscol.stephens.edu wrote: > Greetings Ching! Could you give us an idea of how we could help. > Your message implies you have no access to critical studies or > reference works at your libraries--is that a total vacuum or do > you have a few choices? Or do you need advice on titles from > which to choose? Or specific answers about the Songs? I am > sure many on the list could help. By the way, what edition of > Blake's poems are you using--or are you reading the Songs in a > collection or anthology? That would help us with thinking about > what you need for support. Tom Dillingham > > Thank you for your kind concern. The libraries here have got very few choices, of which minimal copies (i.e. one or two) are kept. There are, for example, only two copies of Bloom's _Visionary_Company_ ( and none of his other works). There IS the local University library which I heard is rather well-stocked, unfortunately not being a student there means I've got no access to it--right now I'm trying to convince some friends who are in the univ. to help me with their loan priviledges. As for the edition of B's poems (specifically _Songs_), that too is a big joke, 'cos none of the local bookstores/publishers sell them--YES!! no Blake, whatsoever! So we had to resort to Xerox-ing _Songs_ from our course instructor's(whom we meet once a week) personal copy and I can't remember the edition. I'm even thinking of getting friends who are studying abroad to buy texts and crticisms to send it back here for me.Right now, we're still only exploring the poems superficially so there isn't much problem in that department. But I would appreciate suggestions on respectable reference/ critical works about _Songs_. By the way, how important are the paintings to the interpretation of the poems, and is it ok to forego that aspect? 'Cos my 'edition' does not come with copies of the paintings ("so what's new?") Meanwhile, I think i'll just hang around and watch the action going on between you veterans and try to learn a think or two along the way. Thank you once again. TA! CHING ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Jan 1996 08:52:43 -0600 From: jmichael@seraph1.sewanee.edu (J. Michael) To: blake@albion.com Subject: Re: introduction Message-Id: <9601111456.AA15135@uu6.psi.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >critical works about _Songs_. By the way, how important are the paintings >to the interpretation of the poems, and is it ok to forego that aspect? >'Cos my 'edition' does not come with copies of the paintings ("so what's >new?") Ching, You may expect a flurry of responses to this question. The current party line among Blakeans is that text and design must be considered together, because the designs are more than "illustrations" of the text. As WJT Mitchell argues, the visual and verbal components of the plates often present different "meanings" which may be contradictory or complementary. Although I agree that you should get your hands on the designs if at all possible, I personally feel that the Songs are intelligible without the designs, and given your limited resources it's best to spend as much time with the text as you can. Later, if you can get access to the designs, they will enhance your understanding of the poems. I wonder if you could order the inexpensive Dover editions from the US? I don't know about trade restrictions or exchange rates. Best wishes, Jennifer Michael Jennifer Davis Michael University of the South jmichael@seraph1.sewanee.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Jan 1996 11:01:26 -0600 From: gabejones@nwu.edu (gabriel jones) To: blake@albion.com Subject: Re: introduction Message-Id: <199601111706.AA200979965@lulu.acns.nwu.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" re: *Songs*, Oxford University Press publishes a fairly well-produced complete edition, ed. by Geoffrey Keynes, for about seven pounds. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Jan 1996 13:43:17 -0500 From: rooney@travel-net.com To: blake@albion.com Subject: Re: introduction Message-Id: <199601111843.NAA00130@travel1.travel-net.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" The only thing is that if the government of singapore views blake as subversive importing is illegal. Even if one of us was to mail it often packages are searched and coficated. Such was the fate of some guns' n roses posters i tried getting to a friend. The accompining Ottawa postcard made it, alone. She said that they are ramdomly selected so a neatly wrapped little box may not be as suspious as a poster tube. Gee, ya think? amanda rooney@travel-net.com I wonder if you could >order the inexpensive Dover editions from the US? I don't know about trade >restrictions or exchange rates. > >Best wishes, >Jennifer Michael > >Jennifer Davis Michael >University of the South >jmichael@seraph1.sewanee.edu > > > > ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Jan 1996 14:09:10 -0600 From: gabejones@nwu.edu (gabriel jones) To: blake@albion.com Subject: Intro Message-Id: <199601112013.AA285131228@lulu.acns.nwu.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" >Return-Path: >From: sternh@WABASH.EDU >Date: Thu, 11 Jan 1996 15:01:32 +0000 >X-Ph: V3.12@relay >Subject: Intro >To: gabejones@nwu.edu (gabriel jones) > > Greetings. I'm Bert Stern, a semi-retired professor o fEnglish at >Wabash College. More than forty years ago I wrote a thesis at Columbia on >Blake's critical reputation, and since that time I've had the pleasure from >time to time of teaching Blake to undergraduates, three times in a course >that began with the "Poetical Sketches" and ended with "The Four Zoas." I >have recently become interested in Kaballah, amd I am curious about what if >anything Blake knew of the kabbalistic tradition. I seem to remember that >Denise Seurat cited Kaballah as an influence, as it was on Milton. Damon >also acknowledges resemblance between the kabbalistic Adam Kadmon and >Blake's Albion, but believes that Blake "apparently . . . took nothing >directly from the Kaballah" Can anyone out there enlighten me or at least >point me forward on this matter? > > > > ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Jan 1996 15:49:44 -0500 (EST) From: Morris Eaves To: in@"blake@albion.com" Subject: Blake & Kabbalah Message-Id: <01HZXFHRISUQAM2MN8@db1.cc.rochester.edu> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT At 09:45 AM 1/12/96 EST, you wrote: >> Greetings. I'm Bert Stern, a semi-retired professor o fEnglish at >>Wabash College. More than forty years ago I wrote a thesis at Columbia on >>Blake's critical reputation, and since that time I've had the pleasure from >>time to time of teaching Blake to undergraduates, three times in a course >>that began with the "Poetical Sketches" and ended with "The Four Zoas." I >>have recently become interested in Kaballah, amd I am curious about what if >>anything Blake knew of the kabbalistic tradition. I seem to remember that >>Denise Seurat cited Kaballah as an influence, as it was on Milton. Damon >>also acknowledges resemblance between the kabbalistic Adam Kadmon and >>Blake's Albion, but believes that Blake "apparently . . . took nothing >>directly from the Kaballah" Can anyone out there enlighten me or at least >>point me forward on this matter? In recent years, Sheila Spector has written several historically well informed things on the subject. If she's listening, she might give some specific refs. Morris Eaves ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Jan 1996 23:17:01 +0000 (GMT) From: Mae Tang To: blake@albion.com Subject: Re: introduction Message-Id: Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Greetings, On Thu, 11 Jan 1996 rooney@travel-net.com wrote: > The only thing is that if the government of singapore views blake as > subversive importing is illegal. Even if one of us was to mail it often > packages are searched and coficated. Such was the fate of some guns' n roses > posters i tried getting to a friend. The accompining Ottawa postcard made > it, alone. She said that they are ramdomly selected so a neatly wrapped > little box may not be as suspious as a poster tube. Gee, ya think? You could try asking at Times the Bookshop. They can order books for you from overseas, but usually they may take a long time to get there. Don't think the govt. will want to read through tons of shipped books. I don't know if Second Hand bookshops would be useful. Also, have you tried other libraries? What's access like to the British Council library? Can you get a card to the Institute of Education library? Hope this helps. Mae > amanda > rooney@travel-net.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Jan 1996 00:01:48 +0000 (GMT) From: Mae Tang To: blake@albion.com Subject: Re: Brief introduction Message-Id: Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Greetings, Does anyone know if there are any reproductions of Blake's _Laocoon_ available out there? I browsed through the text of that in the Oxford (I think it was!) Complete Blake, and was very fascinated by the text. (Must hunt that down). Not that I know enough about Blake yet to make this more than a preliminary conjecture, but I was wondering if it would be possible to relate some of the concepts there to the greater body of his poetry? (Or at least if I can find a good reproduction of it I'd want to give it a bash myself). He was doing interesting things with the Hebrew tetragrammton and spelling of Adam, if I remember correctly. Or at least brought that up. And then went on to outline some ideas that made my jaw drop (or at least they struck me as original and quite exciting in the context). A couple of people have mentioned Erdman and Bloom. Forgive my ignorance, but that isn't Harold Bloom is it? (Currently my All-Time-Favourite-Lit- Critic; say it's so! ;)). If that's the case, I will probably commence leaping tall buildings in a single bound to find that edition. Regards, Mae ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 12 Jan 1996 23:23:54 -0500 (EST) From: Alexander Gourlay To: blake@albion.com Subject: Re: Brief introduction Message-Id: Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII On Sat, 13 Jan 1996, Mae Tang wrote, in part: > Greetings, > > Does anyone know if there are any reproductions of Blake's _Laocoon_ > available out there? > > A couple of people have mentioned Erdman and Bloom. Forgive my ignorance, > but that isn't Harold Bloom is it? (Currently my All-Time-Favourite-Lit- > Critic; say it's so! ;)). > The Erdman edition with Harold Bloom's commentary does include a reproduction of Blake's aphoristic cluster around the Laocoon, though in some copies it is printed in negative inking. Bloom is not always at his best in the commentary in this edition, but it is mostly useful if taken with the right amount of Sodium Chloride. It is in print from Doubleday, in paper, and perhaps in cloth from California. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Jan 1996 00:48:54 -0500 From: WaHu@aol.com To: blake@albion.com Subject: Re: Brief introduction Message-Id: <960113004854_60550799@mail02.mail.aol.com> Yes indeed it is old weird Harold Bloom. Who used to love Blake. His Blake book was written before the divorce. And before his influential anxieties became public. It's kinda cute, but not as good as Frye; and it should have been better. He wrote it too soon, I think. His bbok on Yeats was his best before Anxieties of Influence. And it was immediately before. There's a lot about Blake in that book, as well, of course. I think Bloom was still a horse of instruction when he wrote his Blake book. Too bad there isn't a book on Blake by Leopold Bloom! Now that I would read. I know Harold wishes there was one too.... But I always get a chuckle whenever I read any Blake commentary. Anybody who tries to give the who struck John of those muddled prophecies is like somebody trying to dub a film from Tagaolog into English and they only speak Korean. Some Blake commentaries are only less inept than others. The Blake book by Bloom was originally from Cornell U. Don't know if its still in print, but I suspect so. Hugh Walthall wahu@aol.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 13 Jan 1996 19:46:00 +0000 (GMT) From: Mae Tang To: blake@albion.com Subject: Re: Blake & Kabbalah Message-Id: Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Greetings, On Fri, 12 Jan 1996, Morris Eaves wrote: > At 09:45 AM 1/12/96 EST, you wrote: > >>I have recently become interested in Kaballah, I'd be very interested in exploring Blake in the light of that myself. If it can be argued that his vision is Neoplatonic, or Gnostic, then I'd think that there could be room for Kabbalah... Both after all, are often cited as influences on Kabbalah and its development as a system of thought or mysticism. > >>amd I am curious about what if > >>anything Blake knew of the kabbalistic tradition. That was one of the things that made me curious about his use of Hebrew in _The Laocoon_; not that that would necessarily denote Kabbalah, I know. > >>I seem to remember that > >>Denise Seurat cited Kaballah as an influence, as it was on Milton. Damon > >>also acknowledges resemblance between the kabbalistic Adam Kadmon and > >>Blake's Albion, but believes that Blake "apparently . . . took nothing > >>directly from the Kaballah" Can anyone out there enlighten me or at least > >>point me forward on this matter? I would find a discussion on the whole thing fascinating, if one were to get going on this list. I'm afraid I don't know that much about Blake and his work yet to be terribly useful; I probably know a bit more about Kabbalah than that at present. But I'll be keeping an eye out for tat angle as I read more myself, and would be very interested to hear how other people develop the idea. > In recent years, Sheila Spector has written several historically well > informed things on the subject. If she's listening, she might give some > specific refs. Morris Eaves Could some one please post some titles of hers that I might be able to look up? Regards, Mae -------------------------------- End of blake-d Digest V1996 Issue #2 ************************************