Notebook of William Blake
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The Notebook of William Blake (also known as the Rossetti Manuscript from its association with its former owner
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...
) was used by
William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...
as a
commonplace book Commonplace books (or commonplaces) are a way to compile knowledge, usually by writing information into books. They have been kept from antiquity, and were kept particularly during the Renaissance and in the nineteenth century. Such books are simi ...
from (or 1793) to 1818.


Description

The Notebook utlin #201/small> consists of 58 leaves and contains autograph drafts by Blake of poems and prose with numerous sketches and designs, mostly in pencil. Containing two pages of preface, alongside 94 pages of sketches, each page is approximately 159 x 197mm. The original leaves were later bound with a partial copy (ff. 62–94) of 'All that is of any value in the foregoing pages' that is Rossettis' transcription of Blake's notebook (added after 1847).


Ideas of Good & Evil

At first the ''Notebook'' belonged to Blake's favourite younger brother and pupil Robert who made a few pencil sketches and ink-and-wash drawings in it. After death of Robert in February 1787, Blake inherited the volume beginning it with the series of sketches for many emblematic designs on a theme of life of a man from his birth to death. Then, reversing the book he wrote on its last pages a series of poems of . He continued the book in 1800s returning to the first pages. All together the ''Notebook'' contains about 170 poems plus fragments of prose: ''Memoranda'' (1807), ''Draft for Prospectus of the Engraving of Chaucer's Canterbury Pilgrims'' (1809), ''Public Address'' (1810), ''A Vision of the Last Judgment'' (1810). The latest work in the Notebook is a long and elaborated but unfinished poem '' The Everlasting Gospel'' dated c. 1818. On the page 4 is placed a short humorous poem ''"When a Man has Married a Wife..."'' and a picture above showing of a man and woman rising from bed in a sparsely furnished room that could be Blake's own. The line of text obscured by the picture ''"Ideas of Good & Evil"'' served probably as a title to 64 following picture emblems, 17 of which were used for the book "For Children: The Gates of Paradise". D. G. Rossetti, A. C. Swinburne, and W. B. Yeats in their publications of Blake's poetry used this as a title for the series of poems from the manuscripts. In 1905 John Sampson issued the first annotated publication of all these poems and created a detailed descriptive '' Index to 'The Rossettt MS.'''.Sampson, 1905. It follows by some other scholarly publications edited by
Geoffrey Keynes Sir Geoffrey Langdon Keynes ( ; 25 March 1887, Cambridge – 5 July 1982, Cambridge) was a British surgeon and author. He began his career as a physician in World War I, before becoming a doctor at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London, where h ...
(1935 & 1957/66), David V. Erdman (1965/82/88) & together with D. K. Moore (1977),
Alicia Ostriker Alicia Suskin Ostriker (born November 11, 1937) is an American poet and scholar who writes Jewish feminist poetry.Powell C.S. (1994) ''Profile: Jeremiah and Alicia Ostriker – A Marriage of Science and Art'', Scientific American 271(3), 28-3 ...
(1977), Gerald E. Bentley Jr. (1977), etc. In the introduction of his publication D. G. Rossetti gave to these poems a following presentation:


Poems of 1793

The section of contains 63 poems that include drafts versions of 16 poems entered the collection of ''
Songs of Experience ''Songs of Innocence and of Experience'' is a collection of illustrated poems by William Blake. It appeared in two phases: a few first copies were printed and illuminated by Blake himself in 1789; five years later, he bound these poems with a ...
'', which have been placed here in the following order: Some of these drafts are significantly different from their last versions, for example " Infant Sorrow" of the ''Notebook'' is much more expanded and composed of nine quatrains instead of two that were chosen for the ''
Songs of Experience ''Songs of Innocence and of Experience'' is a collection of illustrated poems by William Blake. It appeared in two phases: a few first copies were printed and illuminated by Blake himself in 1789; five years later, he bound these poems with a ...
''. Also it is interesting to compare the most famous Blake's poem "
The Tyger "The Tyger" is a poem by the English poet William Blake, published in 1794 as part of his '' Songs of Experience'' collection and rising to prominence in the romantic period. The poem is one of the most anthologised in the English literary can ...
" with its two earlier ''Notebook'' versions (see: "The Tyger", 1st draft and 2nd draft). The genre of most of the poems of this section can be defined as '' Songs and Ballads''. Some of them reflect the political and social climate of that time: ✶✶✶ ✶✶✶ Some other of these poems rather belong to the genre of '' Satiric verses and epigrams'', like the following: Motto to the Songs of Innocence and of Experience This motto, which was never engraved by Blake, is not found in any copy of the ''
Songs of Innocence and of Experience ''Songs of Innocence and of Experience'' is a collection of illustrated poems by William Blake. It appeared in two phases: a few first copies were printed and illuminated by Blake himself in 1789; five years later, he bound these poems with a ...
''.


Poems of 1800–1803

There are 10 poems in the ''Notebook'' written during Blake's life in
Felpham Felpham (, sometimes pronounced locally as ''Felf-fm'') is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. Although sometimes considered part of the urban area of greater Bognor Regis, it is a village and civil parish in ...
, a village in
West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...
. Here is the one of his most characteristic poems of that period: ✶✶✶


Poems of 1808–1811

The most of 92 texts of this section are epigrams, gnomic verses or fragments addressed to Blake's friends and enemies, to painters and poets as well as some different historical or mythological characters and even to God. Here are typical examples: ✶✶✶ To God In the following short fragment Blake speaks of himself and his own spiritual experience in his babyhood: ✶✶✶ There is also a draft of famous Blake's motto from his poem ''
Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion ''Jerusalem'', subtitled ''The Emanation of the Giant Albion'' (1804–1820, with additions made even later), is the last, longest and greatest in scope of the prophetic books written and illustrated by the English poet, artist and engraver W ...
'': ✶✶✶ But there in "
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
" at the beginning of the chapter 4 (" To the Christians") it is given in a combination with other 4 mysterious lines:


Designs

The ''Notebook'' is full of Blake's sketches and designs almost on every page. Here is the index of the first 25 pages (''see illustrations below''): ... and so on. File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 002-Daphna-Central emblem.jpg, Daphna? ''p.2'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 009-Robert Blake.jpg, attrib. to Robert Blake: "Lady Macduff fleeing one of Macbeth's henchmen", ''p.9'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 012-Head of a King.jpg, Head of a King? ''p.12'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 015-Traveller-detail-up-left.jpg, Urinating man, ''p.15'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 015-Flying Monster.jpg, Flying Monster, ''p.15'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 015-Man & Dog-detail.jpg, Man & Dog, ''p.15'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 016.jpg, Flying Monsters & Traveller, ''p.16'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 016-Traveller and Woman with children.jpg, Traveller and Woman with children, ''p.16'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 017-Two Monsters.jpg, Two Monsters, ''p.17'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 017-Encounter with Death.jpg, Encounter with Death, ''p.17'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 018-Horseman.jpg, Horseman, ''p.18'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 019-Head of a Woman.jpg, Woman's Head, ''p.19'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 020-Dispute.jpg, Dispute, ''p.20'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 021-Head of a Man.jpg, Man's Head, ''p.21'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 021-The Sick Rose.jpg, The Sick Rose, ''p.21'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 023-Cage-Central eblem.jpg, Cage on a tree, ''p.23'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 024-Scene-Central eblem.jpg, Scene, ''p.24'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 025-pestilence-central emblem.jpg, Pestilence? ''p.25'' Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 047-Portrait.jpg, Portrait, ''p.47'' Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 054-Profile of a Man.jpg, Man's Profile, ''p.54'' Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 067-Profile of himself.jpg, Selfportrait, ''p.67'' File:Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 070-face.jpg, Sad Face, ''p.70'' Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 074-Tom Paine-detail.jpg, Tom Paine, ''p.74'' Blake manuscript - Notebook - page 082-Head of a Woman.jpg,
Catherine Blake Catherine Blake (née Boucher; 25 April 1762 – 18 October 1831) was the wife of the poet, painter and engraver William Blake, and a vital presence and assistant throughout his life. Life Catherine was the last child of market gardener Willia ...
? ''p.82''
These sketches often serve as the sources for Blake's later works, illustrations of his books, engravings, watercolors, etc. Here are some examples:


Owners

The volume was presented by
Catherine Blake Catherine Blake (née Boucher; 25 April 1762 – 18 October 1831) was the wife of the poet, painter and engraver William Blake, and a vital presence and assistant throughout his life. Life Catherine was the last child of market gardener Willia ...
(Blake's widow) in 1827 to William Palmer, brother of Blake's pupil,
Samuel Palmer Samuel Palmer Hon.RE (Hon. Fellow of the Society of Painter-Etchers) (27 January 180524 May 1881) was a British landscape painter, etcher and printmaker. He was also a prolific writer. Palmer was a key figure in Romanticism in Britain and pr ...
. It was bought from him by
Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti (), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhoo ...
30 April 1847. Later it was purchased by F. S. Ellis (at Rossetti's sale, T. G. Wharton, Martin & Co., 5 July 1882, lot 487) and by Ellis and Scruton (at Ellis's sale,
Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, an ...
, 18 Nov 1885, lot 608). Sold by Dodd, Mead and Co. of New York (f. ib) to William Augustus White (d. 1928) of
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, 26 Jan 1887. Inherited by his daughter, Mrs Frances Hillard Emerson (d. 1957) of
Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...
. Presented by Mrs F. H. Emerson. Now in the possession of
British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...
: Add MS 49460.


See also

* Never pain to tell thy love


Notes


Bibliography

* 2nd vol. of ''Life of William Blake'', by
Alexander Gilchrist Alexander Gilchrist (182830 November 1861), an English author, is known mainly as a biographer of William Etty and of William Blake. Gilchrist's biography of Blake is still a standard reference work about the poet. Gilchrist was born at Newingt ...
, D. G. Rossetti, W. M. Rossetti, Anne Gilchrist (Chapter: Ideas of good and evil), 1863 & 1880. * A. C. Swinburne. ''William Blake, a critical essay'' (Chapter: Lyrical poems), 1868. * ''The Poems of William Blake'', ed. by W. B. Yeats, 1893, rev. 1905. * ''The poetical works of William Blake; a new and verbatim text from the manuscript engraved and letterpress originals''; With variorum readings and bibliographical notes and prefaces, edited by Sampson, John, Clarendon Press Oxford, 1905. * ''The Note-book of William Blake'', ed. G. Keynes, 1935 * ''Blake Complete Writings'', ed. G. Keynes, Nonesuch press 1957, OUP 1966/85 * ''The Complete Poetry & Prose of William Blake'', ed. by David V. Erdman, Anchor Books, 1965/1982/1988 (see also at th
Blake archive
* Erdman, ''Errors in the 1973 edition of The Notebook . . .'', Blake Newsletter, ix, 1975, pp. 39, 40 * G. E. Bentley Jr., ''Blake Books'', Oxford, 1977, pp. 321–34 and passim. * ''William Blake The Complete Poems'', ed.
Alicia Ostriker Alicia Suskin Ostriker (born November 11, 1937) is an American poet and scholar who writes Jewish feminist poetry.Powell C.S. (1994) ''Profile: Jeremiah and Alicia Ostriker – A Marriage of Science and Art'', Scientific American 271(3), 28-3 ...
, Penguin Books 1977 * ''The Notebook of William Blake'', ed. D. V. Erdman and D. K. Moore, New York, 1977 * M. L. Greenberg, ''"The Rossettis transcription of Blake's notebook", and "William Michael Rossetti's transcription and William Bell Scott's tracings from Blake's notebook"'', The Library, 6th ser., iv, 1982, pp. 249–72, and vi, 1984, pp. 254–76.


External links


Add MS 49460.

The Notebook of William Blake on the British Library's website
showing 112 pages, with related articles and collection items {{William Blake, lit Art by William Blake Poetry by William Blake William Blake British Library additional manuscripts