Book contents
- William Blake and Romantic Biology
- Cambridge Studies in Romanticism
- William Blake and Romantic Biology
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 ‘Living Form is Eternal Existence’
- Chapter 2 ‘It is Raised/a Spiritual Body’
- Chapter 3 ‘Intelligent, organiz’d’
- Chapter 4 ‘[E]mbryon nerves’
- Chapter 5 ‘From sires to sons, unknown to sex’
- Chapter 6 ‘[E]mbodied and organized in solid marble’
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Studies in Romanticism
Conclusion
Blake and the (Post)Human
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 March 2026
Book contents
- William Blake and Romantic Biology
- Cambridge Studies in Romanticism
- William Blake and Romantic Biology
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 ‘Living Form is Eternal Existence’
- Chapter 2 ‘It is Raised/a Spiritual Body’
- Chapter 3 ‘Intelligent, organiz’d’
- Chapter 4 ‘[E]mbryon nerves’
- Chapter 5 ‘From sires to sons, unknown to sex’
- Chapter 6 ‘[E]mbodied and organized in solid marble’
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
- Cambridge Studies in Romanticism
Summary
The brief conclusion summarises the book’s argument about Blake in relation to the critical terms of humanism and posthumanism. It argues that Blake’s nuanced representation of the body, which, in his universe, is simultaneously preformed and self-organised, aligns him with a distinctly Romantic humanism while also allowing him to anticipate the insights of posthumanism. Finally, it suggests that Blake’s works offer the concept of elasticity as an alternative to plasticity – a concept which acknowledges the complexities of embodiment while insisting on the importance of resilience and identity.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- William Blake and Romantic BiologyEvolution, Originality, and Organic Form, pp. 226 - 229Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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