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Description
The background of William Blake's life is the London artisan class of the turn of the nineteenth century. It involved, for any engraver with pretentions towards being an artist like Blake, contact ...with the very poor of the rookeries of Seven Dials and the East End, as well as potential patrons among the rich. The artisans tended to be nonconformist or even free thinking. They were literate and articulate and their minds were filled with the language and imagery of the men who had brought about the English revolution and republic. Mr. Leslie Morton, author of a recent book on the writings of the 17th century extremist sects links their thoughts with Blake's world, a world in which with the French Revolution only just across the channel, the social criticism in which Blake indulged seemed especially sinister to the powers that were. But Mr Morton's theme is not simply one of the inequalities of rich and poor, but, with the increasing complexity of the industrial scene, the spiritual debasement of men forced to work the machines, men who came to be known as nothing more than 'hands'.
The background of William Blake's life is the London artisan class of the turn of the nineteenth century. It involved, for any engraver with pretentions towards being an artist like Blake, contact ...with the very poor of the rookeries of Seven Dials and the East End, as well as potential patrons among the rich. The artisans tended to be nonconformist or even free thinking. They were literate and articulate and their minds were filled with the language and imagery of the men who had brought about the English revolution and republic. Mr. Leslie Morton, author of a recent book on the writings of the 17th century extremist sects links their thoughts with Blake's world, a world in which with the French Revolution only just across the channel, the social criticism in which Blake indulged seemed especially sinister to the powers that were. But Mr Morton's theme is not simply one of the inequalities of rich and poor, but, with the increasing complexity of the industrial scene, the spiritual debasement of men forced to work the machines, men who came to be known as nothing more than 'hands'.
| Alternative title: | Blake: a historical background |
|---|---|
| Module code and title: | A202, The age of revolutions |
| Item code: | A202; 21 |
| Recording date: | 1971-08-20 |
| First transmission date: | 12-06-1972 |
| Published: | 1972 |
| Rights Statement: | Rights owned or controlled by The Open University |
| Restrictions on use: | This material can be used in accordance with The Open University conditions of use. A link to the conditions can be found at the bottom of all OUDA web pages. |
| Duration: | 00:18:30 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Edward Hayward |
| Contributors: | Marius Goring; A L Morton |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Keyword(s): | 19th Century; Artisans |
| Master spool number: | TLN34FM176J |
| Production number: | TLN34FM176J |
| Available to public: | no |
