Reviews

Songs of Innocence and of Experience and the Book of Thel by William Blake

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voidiru's review against another edition

5.0

i'm not a religious person and i don't believe in one. however, i appreciate good religious symbolism and that's why i enjoyed reading william blake's poems. last year, we had to analyze "the lamb" and "the tyger" for one of my classes. it was a delightful experience, so i decided to read the rest of them. i liked the way he explored two different stages of human life, childhood and adulthood, using religious allegory. in his poems, he portrays how the lack of experience makes the world a scary and dark place for a child. as the child grows up and reaches adulthood, they become corrupt as they gain experience over time. it was a really good read and i highly recommend it.

book_soulsbee's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

buffalomj's review against another edition

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3.0

I appreciate and respect the amount of time and dedication that Blake put into these books, but after such a long process, I have to wonder if it was worth it? Some of the poems stick out to me, and have remained in my brain, but overall I'm just not on the Blake bandwagon.

That being said, I really do appreciate the idea that a lifetime can be split up neatly between innocence and experience. It's a nostalgic way of looking at life and what has come before. Even just talking about it in this way has me longing for my own innocence. So I can definitely get behind the sentimentality that Blake offers.

schmidtemilyk's review against another edition

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4.0

Fun interspersed with wisdom and woe. A compilation juxtaposed Against its self. The rhymes are witty, wise, and wonderful. The illustrations are dreamy and beautiful. Full review available here: https://youtu.be/DVsU5P_K40Y?si=GXfVllm9c-BP2C1s