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Title
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Songs of Innocence (1926)
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Original Date:
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1789
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Facsimile Date:
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1926
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Publisher:
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E. Benn
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Physical Description:
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1 volume (unpaged) ; 26 cm
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Background Information:
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Songs of Innocence, composed in 1789, has a complex publication history, especially after Blake began combining it with Songs of Experience five years later. The order of poems within it, and the number selected for publication or reproduction, varies considerably. Thus not all of the poems in the series are included in all versions. The ink used for printing and the watercolors (or lack thereof) also vary from copy to copy. The 1926 version by E. Benn was made from a copy in the British Museum. Its coloring is most similar to copy A of The Songs of Innocence and of Experience held by that institution.
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Student Commentary:
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Songs of Innocence is a collection of short poems by William Blake that share pastoral and childlike images or perspectives. Though some of the subject matter is more mature in nature, touching on poverty or religion, those themes are dealt with in a way that is relatable even for young children. In some poems, for example, religion is offered as a safety net for one’s problems. In 1794, Blake combined Songs of Innocence with his later anthology of lyrics, Songs of Experience, addressing those themes in a darker vein. The two works together offer alternate views that comment upon each other in myriad ways. The combined collection is titled, appropriately, Songs of Innocence and of Experience. – Jessica Rosenthal ‘18
