Blake and the Failure of Prophecy

This monograph explores Blake's prophetic mode as a dynamic response to historical change, challenging the reconciliation of foreseen future and actual reality. Blake's writing addresses the problem of text-to-action, presenting no definitive solution but continually seeking ways to fulfill prophecy's potential. Paul Ricoeur's hermeneutics offers a framework to analyze Blake's attempts.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 225 pages
\n Publication date: 25 May 2021
\n Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG
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This monograph takes a fresh look at Blake's prophetic mode, revealing it to be more than just a systematic framework. Instead, it emerges as a dynamic and human response to a period of profound historical transformation, where the future envisioned by Blake and the reality he faced were irreconcilable. Throughout his writing, Blake grapples with the central challenge of all politically engaged literature: how can texts inspire action? While he offers no definitive solution to this question, it is remarkable that Blake never ceased his quest to find ways in which prophecy could truly live up to its potential in the present.

Paul Ricoeur, a hermeneuticist of the twentieth century, shared a deep interest with Blake in exploring the intricate relationship between time, text, and action. Ricoeur's hermeneutics provide a valuable theoretical framework for analyzing Blake's efforts to fulfill his prophetic purpose.

In his visionary works, Blake sought to bridge the gap between the visionary realm and the earthly reality, urging his readers to embrace a transformative vision of the future. He believed that prophecy was not just about predicting the future but about actively shaping it through the power of imagination and the courage to act. Blake's poetry and prose are filled with symbolic imagery, metaphorical language, and allegorical narratives that invite readers to engage with the deeper meanings of history and society.

Through his hermeneutics, Ricoeur analyzes Blake's use of these poetic and rhetorical devices to explore the relationship between time, text, and action. He examines how Blake uses prophecy to challenge dominant narratives, question power structures, and advocate for social justice. Ricoeur also explores how Blake's prophetic mode resonates with contemporary concerns, such as the environmental crisis, political polarization, and the struggle for human rights.

In conclusion, this monograph offers a new perspective on Blake's prophetic mode, highlighting its dynamic and human nature. Through the lens of Paul Ricoeur's hermeneutics, it explores Blake's attempts to fulfill his prophetic purpose and the ways in which his visionary works continue to inspire and challenge us today.

\n Weight: 440g\n
Dimension: 156 x 219 x 22 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9783030676872\n
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021\n