"Lover of a wild rebellion": the satanic figuration in William Blake's continental prophecies

Abstract

In this paper, I analyze the thematic development of William Blake’s satanic figure, the character named Orc, in the illuminated poems entitled Continental Prophecies, which concern the books America: A Prophecy (1793), Europe: A Prophecy (1794) and The Song of Los (1795), the latter being divided into two parts, Africa and Asia. My discussions relates to three instances: religious, social and artistic. This concept is conceived by Peter Schock (2003) as a “Cultural Matrix”. As critical support, I approach authors like Behrendt (1992), Hutton (1998), and Makdisi (2003), who study the problem of the satanic figure in Blake’s works. This study explores how Blake’s art opens a dialogues with the revolutions of the eighteenth century, by discussing its religious, political and artistic influences, and offering a view of Blake's satanic ideal.