Blake, Kierkegaard, and the Spectre of Dialectic

This study traces affinities between the late prophetic poems of William Blake and the work of the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. Both feature concepts (the Spectre fought by Blake's poet-prophet Los, and Kierkegaard's idea of "dread") embodying a spirit of philosophical negation, skepticism, and dialectic which the writers sought to resist. Lorraine Clark uses Kierkegaard's philosophy to illuminate Blake's prophecies, showing that both offer the basis for a profound critique of romanticism, while themselves partaking of some of the ideals and tensions central to our understanding of the romantic movement.