Latest updates from the Global Blake Network
Our Spring/Summer
'In Conversation' Series,
Blake-related Talks,
and More.
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In March our 'In Conversation' speaker Camille Adnot examines Blake's use of mirror writing and design in their talk 'Mirror Writing and Mirror Designing in William Blake's Illuminated Books'.
'In 1789, Blake developed the relief etching technique which he described as “a method of Printing which combines the Painter and the Poet,” allowing him to simultaneously write and design on copper plates for his illuminated books. This process required Blake to write and design in reverse, leading him to develop his command of retrography. Consequently, what appears “forwards” on the printed page is the product of a “backwards” preparatory process.
There are instances in which Blake intentionally prints text backwards, drawing attention to the transformations of the printed word, as in plates of Milton a Poem (c. 1804-1811) and Jerusalem (c. 1804-1820). This paper analyses the workings of these reversed words on the printed page, examining the dynamics of reading text backwards, and the function that these words serve within the illuminated book. This investigation into mirror writing and its implications extends to Blake’s practice of mirror designing, which, though less obviously subversive and challenging for the reader, still operates a reversal of important proportions. Recurrent iconographic motifs that change orientation depending on whether they are sketched or etched will be approached through W. J. T. Mitchell’s notion of “multistable” images (Picture Theory, 1995), leading to a broader discussion on images that suggest a double direction, and pairs of images that mirror each other. Through these analyses, I explore some of the dynamics behind Blake’s fearful symmetries.'
Camille Adnot will present this talk on 3 March, 2025 at 19.00-20.00.
Recordings of the January and February talks can now be found on our YouTube channel Zoavision by clicking here.
All Global Blake Events are free via Zoom. To register, please go to globalblake.com/events/
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We have added all the videos from the Musical Afterlives Symposium to our website and our YouTube channel, Zoavision.
We have updated our Global Blake Homepage with links both to the Symposium recordings as well as to our new and ongoing 'Blake & Music' Project in which we aim to bring together academics, artists and performers to explore the ways in which Blake has been set to music in the past, and how he continues to be a source of inspiration today.
To find out more visit our website: www.globalblake.com
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Our Spring/Summer 'In Conversation' Series
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Camille Adnot - 'Mirror Writing and Mirror Designing in William Blake's Illuminated Books'
3 March, 2025 at 19.00-20.00
Annalise Volpone - 'Imagination and the pregnant mind in Blake's cosmogony'
28 April, 2025 at 19.00-20.00
Angus Whitehead - 'Rehabilitating the 'Bad' Ancient?: The Life and Times of Frederick Tatham'
12 May, 2025 at 19.00-20.00
Matthew Leporati - 'Blake's Beast: Reading "The Everlasting Gospel" with Nietzsche's The Antichrist'
2 June, 2025 at 19.00-20.00
(All talks are at UK Time.)
For more information and to register please go to:
www.globalblake.com/events
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Podcast:
W.B Yeats, Blake and Mysticism
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In our latest podcast Jodie Marley and Jason Whittaker discuss how W.B. Yeats shaped our view of Blake's mysticism. You can watch it here on our YouTube channel Zoavision.
The audio version is now also available via Apple, Spotify, Amazon and more (simply search for Zoavision).
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Romanticism Across Borders
5 March, 17.30 (UK Time)
Dr Camila Querino (University of Lisbon), will discuss 'Translating William Blake: unfettered forms and intertextual relations'
'Taking the Bible as “The Great Code of Art”, the English poet and visual artist William Blake (1757-1827) resorted to its diction, textual and narrative structures to produce the epic Jerusalem the Emanation of the Giant Albion (1804-1820), the work which closes his prophetic cycle. The talk aims at offering an overview of the process of translating Jerusalem, presenting and discussing the challenges faced by the translator concerning the specificities of the multimedia nature of his illuminated books and the intense dialogue and appropriation of other texts creating a mythopoetic polyphony which is so distinctive and paradigmatic in Blake’s oeuvre.'
Romanticism Across Borders is free, monthly, online, Zoom seminar series hosted by Camille Adnot, Félix Dupperier and Pauline Hortolland.
If you would like to attend any of the series please email: romanticismacrossborders@gmail.com
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Other News from the Global Blake Network
On the Global Blake website, you'll find details of latest publications and events including:
- New publications by scholars.
- Talks and events as part of The Blake Society.
- Regular updates of events around the globe.
To keep abreast of news and information on William Blake, go to globalblake.com/news/
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