Milton: Analysis of Setting
The "Milton: Analysis of Setting" offers an exploration of the rich and symbolic environments found within William Blake's work, particularly as they relate to John Milton's themes. Central to this analysis is Golgonooza, Blake's envisioned City of Art, which serves as a spiritual representation of London and encompasses the broader British landscape. This city symbolizes the creative struggle and redemption of humanity, where the imaginative labor of its inhabitants transforms the raw materials of existence. The architecture of Golgonooza reflects four distinct realms of human experience: Ulro (a chaotic, untamed nature), Generation (the emotional struggle for love), Beulah (a restful subconscious state), and Eden (a paradise driven by imagination). Another significant setting discussed is the Brooks of Arnon, drawing parallels to biblical narratives where spiritual struggles and moments of liberation occur. Here, Milton's conflict with the reasoned spirit of Urizen embodies a deeper metaphysical battle, representing a victory of imagination over rationality. This analysis provides insight into Blake's interweaving of myth and religious symbolism, highlighting the transformative journey toward freedom and creativity.
Milton: Analysis of Setting
First published: 1804-1808
Type of work: Poetry
Places Discussed
Golgonooza
Golgonooza (gol-goh-NEWS-ah). William Blake’s holy City of Art, a spiritual form of London encompassing all Britain, like the biblical New Jerusalem. There at his seven furnaces Urthona’s manifestation Los melts all of nature into gold for the City of God and gives form to uncreated things. His labor is the imaginative creation of all that can be redeemed. The architecture of the city therefore unites it with the four levels of human existence: Ulro, hellish nature untamed by humans; Generation, love’s struggle to rise above savagery; Beulah, the subconscious realm of recovered innocence, a sleepy place of respite from the fury of creative inspiration; and Eden, a paradise where reason has been dominated by imagination.
Brooks of Arnon
Brooks of Arnon. Tributaries of the Arnon River in Jordan, where Milton struggles with the satanic spirit of reason, Urizen. These are biblical places where Jacob wrestled with God to gain a blessing for Israel, where the Jews escaped from bondage in Egypt, and where Moses was buried. Thus, symbolically, Blake connects his myth with the religious journey of God’s chosen people into liberty, nationhood, and deliverance from the tyranny of law. Urizen baptizes Milton with the icy river water (religious dogma). Milton uses the living red clay to make a human form for Urizen. Thus their struggle ends in a victory of imagination over reason.
Bibliography
Bloom, Harold. Blake’s Apocalypse: A Study in Poetic Argument. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1963. A comprehensive, virtually line-by-line exposition of Blake’s prophetic poems. Sensitively explains the intricate subtleties of Blake’s myth and traces its connections to biblical and other literary traditions.
Damon, S. Foster. A Blake Dictionary: The Ideas and Symbols of William Blake. Providence, R.I.: Brown University Press, 1965. This handy glossary collects and interprets clues to Blake’s terminology, which is scattered through all of his works. There are entries for each character, work, symbol, and geographical or historical reference. Omits most of Blake’s contemporaries in the arts. Includes maps, illustrations, and diagrams of difficult concepts such as Golgonooza.
Fox, Susan. Poetic Form in Blake’s “Milton.” Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1976. Patiently establishes the structural principle of parallelism beneath the seeming chaos of the poem. Explores the echoes, paired passages, cyclical patterns, and thematic symmetries.
Frye, Northrop. Fearful Symmetry: A Study of William Blake. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1947. A brilliant analysis of Blake’s poetry and thought, the most important and influential work of Blake criticism. Chapter 10 examines Milton in depth.
Howard, John. Blake’s Milton: A Study in the Selfhood. Madison, N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1976. A psychological analysis that credits Blake for anticipating twentieth century psychological theories. Focuses on Milton’s descent as a journey within the psyche and analyzes Blake’s Spectres as models of self-paralyzing inhibition.