William Blake's Visions - (Palgrave Studies in Literature, Science and Medicine) by David Worrall (Hardcover)
About this item
Highlights
- This book is an inquiry into whether what Blake called his 'visions' can be attributed to recognizable perceptual phenomena.
- About the Author: David Worrall is Emeritus Professor of English at Nottingham Trent University.
- 262 Pages
- Literary Criticism, European
- Series Name: Palgrave Studies in Literature, Science and Medicine
Description
Book Synopsis
This book is an inquiry into whether what Blake called his 'visions' can be attributed to recognizable perceptual phenomena. The conditions identified include visual hallucinations (some derived from migraine aura), and auditory and visual hallucinations derived from several types of synaesthesia. Over a long period of time, Blake has been celebrated as a 'visionary, ' yet his 'visions' have not been discussed. Worrall draws on an understanding of neuroscience to examine both Blake's visual art and writings, and discusses the lack of evidence pointing towards psychosis or pathological ill-health, thus questioning the rumours pertaining to Blake's insanity.
From the Back Cover
This book is an inquiry into whether what Blake called his 'visions' can be attributed to recognizable perceptual phenomena. The conditions identified include visual hallucinations (some derived from migraine aura), and auditory and visual hallucinations derived from several types of synaesthesia. Over a long period of time, Blake has been celebrated as a 'visionary, ' yet his 'visions' have not been discussed. Worrall draws on an understanding of neuroscience to examine both Blake's visual art and writings, and discusses the lack of evidence pointing towards psychosis or pathological ill-health, thus questioning the rumours pertaining to Blake's insanity.
David Worrall is Emeritus Professor of English at Nottingham Trent University. He has published widely on both William Blake and Eighteenth-Century Theatre.
About the Author
David Worrall is Emeritus Professor of English at Nottingham Trent University. He has published widely on both William Blake and Eighteenth-Century Theatre.