William Blake, Dante, and Images of Inversion in Inferno
Keywords:
William Blake, Dante, Divine Comedy, InfernoAbstract
William Blake and Dante were in agreement that the contemporary Christian church - to quote Blake - “Crucifie[d] Christ with the Head Downwards.” Despite their theological differences, both poets used imagery of inversion when denouncing religious institutions or concepts. By examining instances where Blake has used images of physically inverted bodies in his own illuminated works, and then connecting that imagery with his illustrations to key cantos of Inferno, it is possible to trace when Blake is rejecting Dante’s vision and when he is in unison with Dante’s criticism of the Christian Church.Downloads
References
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