Published 2023-12-23
Keywords
- Biographies,
- Editions,
- E.J. Ellis,
- W.B. Yeats,
- William Blake
Copyright (c) 2023 Arianna Antonielli
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
After collaborating on The Works of William Blake. Poetic, Symbolic, and Critical (1893), William B. Yeats and Edwin J. Ellis individually published additional volumes on William Blake. These editions trace the contours of each editor’s unique approach to William Blake’s works, revealing a fascinating tension between mysticism and scholarship. The apparent clash of their perspectives not only influenced the selection and interpretation of Blake’s poetry, but also interestingly shaped their biographies of Blake. The current essay looks at Yeats and Ellis’ distinct authorial intent, taking their biographies of Blake as case studies to outline the growing controversy between the two editors. This divergence highlights the multifaceted nature of Blake’s legacy and the ongoing debate on the most appropriate lens through which to view his life and work.