What new forms did Blake seek for his poetry? (MEG 102) (APPROACHES TO BLAKE's POETRY)

William Blake was a poet who sought to create new forms and styles of poetry. He believed that traditional poetic forms and conventions were limiting, and that they stifled creativity and originality. As a result, he experimented with a variety of new forms and techniques, many of which were highly innovative for his time.

One of the most significant new forms that Blake sought to create was what he called "illuminated printing." This involved combining text and images in a single work, with the text often being incorporated into the images themselves. Blake created a number of illuminated works, including his famous collections "Songs of Innocence" and "Songs of Experience," which he printed and illustrated himself.

Blake also experimented with free verse, which is a type of poetry that does not follow traditional rules of meter and rhyme. He believed that free verse allowed for greater spontaneity and creativity, and he used it extensively in his later works.

In addition to these new forms, Blake also incorporated a wide range of literary and artistic influences into his poetry, drawing on everything from the Bible to classical mythology to folk tales and ballads. This eclecticism helped to create a unique and highly individual style that set him apart from his contemporaries and helped to define the Romantic movement.