Divine Images

"No one can survive the impossible, irresistible Blake without an introduction. Whittaker's is superior--readable, knowledgeable, comprehensive, up to date. Highly recommended for anyone trying to follow Blake's golden thread."--Morris Eaves, professor of English and Richard L. Turner Professor of Humanities, University of Rochester, editor of The Cambridge Companion to William Blake "William Blake was influenced by Shakespeare, Milton, and the Bible. Divine Images refamiliarizes the old and powerful stories, disentangles the themes of the prophetic books, and celebrates the ingenuity of the lyric poetry, while contextualizing all in the visual and political culture of Blake's day. Whittaker's beautifully written book puts Blake's spirituality and humanism center stage. He explains what in Blake appealed to the Victorian and Modernist eras and still inspires contemporary artists, writers, and musicians."--Sibylle Erle, reader in English literature, Bishop Grosseteste University, author of Blake, Lavater, and Physiognomy "Divine Images is the ideal guide for anyone wanting to know the life and works of William Blake--or to return to what they thought they knew. It is excellent both as an introduction to and overview of the historic Blake, exploring his poetry and art in their time and place and his inspiring legacy through the nineteenth century up to the present day."--Joseph Viscomi, James G. Kenan Distinguished Professor of English Literature, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill