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A contribution to: Myth

Edited by John McKeane and Joanna Neilly

MHRA Working Papers in the Humanities 5

Modern Humanities Research Association

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Abstract.  This article seeks to explain some of the intersections between Blake's visionary ideas and mythological systems that were current in the latter half of the eighteenth century. The value of considering this subject lies in revealing some fresh insight into Blake's aesthetic theory and to respond to the thesis that either writing or art begins with the effacement of mythology or art equates with mythology. The article reveals that Blake's approach to mythology is such that myths become subsumed within myths, and that from a desire to critique the art of the mythographers from his period, Blake was able to deepen his own enquiry into his aesthetic theorization. Thus, by the time he had started composing his long poem, Jerusalem, he was aware that in order to develop a new creative system it was necessary to clear away the classical mythological remnants of the past and challenge some of the more ancient systems of belief such as Druidism, which predated most forms. As a consequence, Blake demonstrates a need to eradicate the possibility of mythical ossification at every stage of his myth. The ossification of mythology is my specific interest and I aim to explore Blake's aesthetic practices helped him to maintain the freshness of his vision over a long time period and how he learned to adjust his own perspective in opposition to the theoretical, philosophical and psychological opinions of his day. As my thesis consists in researching Jungian psychology and Blake's ideas about medical knowledge and forms of mental disturbance, I am particularly interested in the study of archetypes inherent in a variety of mythological research and stories in both Blake's day and other historical periods.

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