William Blake’s Mythopoeic Vision: The Development of Blake’s System in His Early Works and Minor Prophecies explores William Blake's mythopoeic vision as a unique mode of perception in his early works and Minor Prophecies. Clearly delineating the difference between myth and mythopoeia, the book outlines a theory of myth that is holistic and visionary, as opposed to the systematized myths that turn into strict rules of conduct and constrain human imagination.
Blake's understanding of myth as a visionary and prophetic perception that vivifies the universe represents a transformative mode of seeing that emancipates humanity from the shackles of rationalism and materialism. This mythopoeic approach is carefully traced in his earlier works, whose visionary content is often glossed over in Blake scholarship, and in the Minor Prophecies, which are frequently dismissed as mere steppingstones towards his final prophetic system.
An exclusive focus on these texts—an approach not undertaken for decades—reveals that Blake's mythopoeic vision is consistently and deliberately employed throughout. By examining how Blake develops his framework across these works, this book demonstrates that the early writings and Minor Prophecies are not preliminary sketches but essential building blocks of his larger system and integral components of his apocalyptic vision of humanity's revival and spiritual emancipation.