Songs of Innocence and Experience

Songs of Innocence and Experience text guide

Although Blake was a unique talent of his time, his poetry also reflects the world view and background from which he came. This was heavily influenced by the Bible and Christian thought, as well as the changes in society due to the first stages of the Industrial Revolution. Blake, however, was not a traditional Christian - he re-interpreted most of what he read in the Bible to produce his own individual mythology.

Today many students will not be very familiar with the biblical aspects of Blake’s poetry. Fewer still will grasp his mythology, which even critics find difficult and sometimes obscure.

Analysis of the poems Some believe that the Songs of Innocence were originally a separate project and thus the Songs of Innocence and of Experience as we have them now were not conceived and planned as an entity. Read more . . .

The world of William Blake Blake’s was a time of turmoil arising out of challenges to established ideas about monarchy, hierarchy, human nature and human rights.  Read more . . .

Dive in to the Songs of Innocence and Experience text guide

Synopses of the poetry - Detailed analysis of the Songs of Innocence and Experience.

Songs of Innocence and Experience Timeline - Helpfully puts the historical and literary contexts alongside the life of William Blake so you can make sense of events.

Themes and significant ideas - Research themes and significant ideas, such as Blake's ideas about the concepts of innocence and experience.