Songs of Innocence and of Experience (2016)
- Title
- Songs of Innocence and of Experience (2016)
- Original Date:
- 1794
- Facsimile Date:
- 2016
- Publisher:
- Michael Phillips
- Physical Description:
- 16 plates ; 29 cm.
- Background Information:
-
This work has a complex publication history. Songs of Innocence was composed in 1789 and Songs of Experience in 1794, after which the two were often combined, sometimes with an additional, unified title page. The order of poems within the combined publication varies considerably, as does the number of poems selected for it (and for later reproductions). Thus not all of the poems in the series are included in all versions. The coloration also varies from copy to copy.
This particular facsimile of selected poems from Songs of Innocence and of Experience was printed in an edition of 16 copies by Michael Phillips, using a replica of Blake's rolling-press at Oxford University and paper hand-made by W.S. Hodgkinson and Co. around 1927 (the centennial of Blake’s death). The Phillips edition is not colored, but instead is focused on reproducing Blake’s inking and printmaking techniques. Included with the Union College copy are test proofs that Phillips made using various colored inks and strategies; a reproduction of a copper plate used for The Lamb; and other related items. Material like that included in this edition is not available at the William Blake Archive. Consult the book in Schaffer Library for more information. The Union College copy was purchased by the Friends of the Library. - Student Commentary:
- Overview: Songs of Innocence and of Experience is a combination of two collections of Blake’s short poems, Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. Its subtitle emphasizes that, through this combination, Blake is “Showing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul.” Whereas the poems collected under the title Songs of Innocence focus on pastoral themes and images, poems for Songs of Experience are much darker and contain messages about the state of society. Each poem is on its own individual plate, with artwork surrounding the poetry. Usually the images in the artwork are related to the themes of the poem, but this is not always the case. Several of the poems within Songs of Innocence have companion pieces in Songs of Experience; when the two collections are contained in one book, as they are here, they allow you to see the maturation of the themes and the scope of Blake’s observations and philosophical outlook. – Jessica Rosenthal ‘18
- Site pages
- Songs of Innocence and of Experience (2016)