WILLIAM BLAKE AND THE ROOTS OF POST-HUMANISM: THE BOUNDARIES OF HUMANITY IN THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL

Abstract

In this paper, William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (written 1790–1793) is studied using post-humanist theory to argue that Blake recognized these issues well before the term was coined. Blake’s poetry and philosophy have typically been studied under Romantic, mystical, and aesthetic theories, but this study looks at them as early critiques of Enlightenment humanism. By studying Blake’s poetry with literary analysis and attention to the setting, the paper shows how he challenges good/evil, body/soul, and human/non-human concepts, ideas that are also questioned by post-humanism. By praising imagination, energy, and contradiction, Blake presents an identity that changes according to relationship but is not centered on people. Highlighting Blake’s affirmation of plenty, his rejection of religious tradition, and his use of animal and technological imagery in his illuminated writings, the study shows his fitting into ecological and cybernetic concepts in post-humanist theory. As a result, this paper shows that Blake anticipates post-humanist ideas, and his writings are very relevant to current discussions about human identity, bodies, and the edges of being an individual.