Introduction: “Dialectic in the Marriage of Heaven and Hell” by Harold Bloom
“Dialectic in the Marriage of Heaven and Hell” by Harold Bloom first appeared in PMLA (Publications of the Modern Language Association) in December 1958 (Vol. 73, No. 5, Part 1, pp. 501-504). This article, published by the Modern Language Association, is a critical examination of William Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell and its dialectical structure. Bloom delves into Blake’s unique interplay of contraries, emphasizing the work’s intricate blend of theological and ethical oppositions, along with its satirical and prophetic tones. Bloom highlights how Blake’s rhetoric overtakes dialectic, asserting that true comprehension of the work demands engagement with the unresolved tension between opposing ideas. This piece is significant in literary theory as it contributes to the ongoing discussion of apocalyptic literature, irony, and the role of contraries in human existence. Bloom’s analysis also serves as a crucial touchstone in the interpretation of Blake’s poetic vision, influencing subsequent readings of Blake’s works, including their dialectical complexities in the context of Romanticism and modern literary criticism.
Summary of “Dialectic in the Marriage of Heaven and Hell” by Harold Bloom
1. The Central Conflict of Contraries
- Bloom argues that Blake’s The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is built upon the tension between opposing forces, what Blake termed “contraries,” rather than “negations.”
- Quotation: “The Marriage compounds ethical and theological ‘contraries’; in form it mocks the categorical techniques that seek to make the contraries appear as ‘negations.'”
2. Dialectic as a Form of Prophetic Irony
- The work is described as a dialectical apocalypse that blends prophecy and satire, challenging established institutions while reflecting on the abyss between aspiration and reality.
- Quotation: “The great difficulty of dialectical apocalypse is that it has got to present itself as prophetic irony, in which the abyss between aspiration and institution is both anticipated and denounced.”
3. The Role of Rhetoric in Blake’s Dialectic
- Bloom highlights how Blake’s rhetoric subsumes the dialectic, making it difficult to determine when Blake speaks plainly and when he engages in irony.
- Quotation: “In Blake, rhetoric subsumes dialectic, and usurps its place of privilege.”
4. Visionary Satire and Northrop Frye’s ‘Anatomy’
- Bloom connects Blake’s work to Northrop Frye’s concept of “anatomy,” a literary genre that mixes satire with vision, allowing the juxtaposition of serious philosophical content with mockery.
- Quotation: “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a miniature ‘anatomy,’ in Northrop Frye’s recently formulated sense of the term.”
5. Blake’s Critique of Christian Dualism
- Blake’s work critiques traditional Christian dualism, rejecting the division of good and evil and emphasizing the necessary coexistence of contraries.
- Quotation: “Without Contraries is no progression. Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence.”
6. The Role of the Prolific and the Devouring
- Bloom highlights Blake’s distinction between two forces: the Prolific, which creates, and the Devouring, which restrains and limits. These forces are vital to human existence and cannot be reconciled without destroying existence itself.
- Quotation: “Thus one portion of being is the Prolific, the other the Devouring… The Prolific would cease to be Prolific unless the Devourer, as a sea, received the excess of his delights.”
7. Blake’s Non-Theism and the Rejection of Transcendence
- Blake’s nontheism is underscored, as Bloom notes that God exists only in human beings and not as an abstract, transcendent being. Blake embraces a reality grounded in human experience rather than metaphysics.
- Quotation: “If God only acts and is in Men, then God has become an unnecessary hypothesis, having no abstract being beyond our powers of visualization and confrontation.”
8. Irony and the Subversion of Christian Thought
- The “Proverbs of Hell” are cited as Blake’s subversion of conventional Christian wisdom through irony, presenting radical antinomianism (rejection of moral law) and glorifying energy and action.
- Quotation: “The Proverbs of Hell… where dialectic and rhetoric come together combatively in what could be judged the most brilliant aphorisms written in English.”
9. Energy, Desire, and the Boundaries of Existence
- Energy and desire are central to Blake’s worldview, with Bloom noting that for Blake, energy is “Eternal Delight,” and to stifle desire or action is a form of vice.
- Quotation: “Energy is Eternal Delight… Desire which does not lead to action is also ‘accident,’ vice, and is self-destructive.”
Literary Terms/Concepts in “Dialectic in the Marriage of Heaven and Hell” by Harold Bloom
| Literary Term/Concept | Definition | Explanation in Bloom’s Analysis | Quotation/Reference |
| Dialectic | A method of argument that involves a dialogue between opposing forces or ideas to reveal the truth. | Bloom emphasizes how Blake’s work is inherently dialectical, showcasing the tension between opposing forces (contraries). | “The Marriage compounds ethical and theological ‘contraries’; in form it mocks the categorical techniques that seek to make the contraries appear as ‘negations.'” |
| Contraries | Opposing forces or concepts that coexist without negating each other. | Central to Blake’s philosophy, contraries such as good and evil are necessary for human existence and progression. | “Without Contraries is no progression. Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence.” |
| Irony | A rhetorical device where the intended meaning is opposite of the literal meaning. | Blake uses prophetic irony in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell to challenge institutionalized systems of thought. | “The great difficulty of dialectical apocalypse is that it has got to present itself as prophetic irony, in which the abyss between aspiration and institution is both anticipated and denounced.” |
| Apocalypse | A literary genre involving the revelation of hidden truths, often associated with the end of the world. | Blake’s work is described as a dialectical apocalypse that combines visionary and satirical elements. | “Apocalypse is dialectical in the Marriage, as much so as in Shelley’s Prometheus or the poems by Yeats… in which the abyss between aspiration and institution is both anticipated and denounced.” |
| Rhetoric | The art of persuasive speaking or writing. | In Blake’s work, rhetoric often overtakes dialectic, making it difficult to determine when Blake speaks ironically. | “In Blake, rhetoric subsumes dialectic, and usurps its place of privilege.” |
| Antinomianism | A belief that rejects established moral laws, particularly in the context of religion. | The “Proverbs of Hell” embody Blake’s antinomian stance, rejecting Christian dualism and embracing rebellious energy. | “The Proverbs of Hell… where dialectic and rhetoric come together combatively in what could be judged the most brilliant aphorisms written in English.” |
| Satire | A genre of literature that uses humor, irony, or ridicule to criticize societal flaws or institutions. | Blake’s work contains satirical elements, especially in its critique of religious and philosophical institutions. | “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a miniature ‘anatomy,’ in Northrop Frye’s recently formulated sense of the term, and reserves to itself the anatomy’s peculiar right to mingle satire with vision.” |
| Prophetic Poetry | A form of visionary poetry that conveys predictions or warnings about the future. | Blake’s poem is considered prophetic, warning against the limitations of institutionalized religion and thought. | “The poem is a prelude, establishing the tone of prophetic fury which is to run beneath the Marriage; the indignation of Rintrah presages the turning over of a cycle.” |
| Dualism | The division of something into two opposing aspects. | Blake critiques traditional Christian dualism by presenting contraries as necessary and complementary forces. | “This is a dialectic without transcendence, in which heaven and hell are to be married but without becoming altogether one flesh or one family.” |
| Anatomy (Literary Genre) | A work that mixes philosophical ideas with satire, often presenting a broad survey of human knowledge. | Bloom associates The Marriage of Heaven and Hell with this genre, citing Northrop Frye’s use of the term “anatomy.” | “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a miniature ‘anatomy,’ in Northrop Frye’s recently formulated sense of the term, and reserves to itself the anatomy’s peculiar right to mingle satire with vision.” |
| Phenomenology | A philosophical approach that emphasizes the study of consciousness and human experience. | Bloom connects Blake’s vision to phenomenology, noting that Blake explores human existence and sensory experience. | “Blake gives a definitive statement of the phenomenology of existence, the ceaseless dialectic of daily appearance.” |
Contribution of “Dialectic in the Marriage of Heaven and Hell” by Harold Bloom to Literary Theory/Theories
1. Contribution to Dialectical Criticism
- Explanation: Bloom’s analysis of Blake’s work adds depth to the theory of dialectics in literature by emphasizing the coexistence and tension of contraries rather than their reconciliation. His interpretation broadens the understanding of dialectical relationships in literary texts, especially in their treatment of philosophical and theological themes.
- Quotation: “The Marriage compounds ethical and theological ‘contraries’; in form it mocks the categorical techniques that seek to make the contraries appear as ‘negations.’”
- Contribution: Bloom shows that The Marriage of Heaven and Hell uses dialectic to express complex philosophical ideas without necessarily resolving them into a final synthesis. This challenges the more traditional view of dialectics as a system that aims for resolution, adding nuance to the critical theory by stressing the value of unresolved tension.
2. Contribution to Deconstruction
- Explanation: By highlighting Blake’s use of irony and the difficulty of determining when he speaks “straight,” Bloom anticipates the concerns of deconstructionist theory. This theory emphasizes the instability of meaning and the interplay of opposites within a text, a concept that Bloom aligns with Blake’s complex treatment of contraries.
- Quotation: “The specific difficulty in reading The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is to mark the limits of its irony: where does Blake speak straight?”
- Contribution: Bloom’s analysis supports a deconstructive reading of Blake’s work, where meaning is never fixed but constantly in flux due to the play between opposing concepts like good and evil, energy and reason. This contributes to literary theories that focus on the fluidity and indeterminacy of textual meaning.
3. Contribution to Romantic Criticism
- Explanation: Bloom’s reading situates The Marriage of Heaven and Hell within the broader tradition of Romantic literature, which values imagination, visionary experience, and the critique of institutionalized religion and reason. He connects Blake’s work to other Romantic texts, such as Shelley’s Prometheus and Yeats’ A Vision, showing how these works share a dialectical approach to apocalypse and prophetic vision.
- Quotation: “Apocalypse is dialectical in the Marriage, as much so as in Shelley’s Prometheus or the poems by Yeats written out of A Vision.”
- Contribution: By framing Blake’s work as a dialectical apocalypse, Bloom deepens the understanding of Romantic literature’s philosophical engagement with societal and theological questions. His analysis underscores the role of visionary imagination in Romantic criticism and its reliance on unresolved tension between contraries.
4. Contribution to Phenomenology in Literature
- Explanation: Bloom discusses how Blake’s work can be seen through a phenomenological lens, which focuses on human experience and consciousness as opposed to metaphysical transcendence. Blake’s rejection of abstract concepts in favor of the “hard given of this world” aligns with phenomenological approaches that prioritize lived experience over speculative philosophy.
- Quotation: “Blake gives a definitive statement of the phenomenology of existence, the ceaseless dialectic of daily appearance.”
- Contribution: Bloom’s analysis situates The Marriage of Heaven and Hell within phenomenological theory by emphasizing the importance of human experience and sensory perception. His reading contributes to theories that focus on the concrete and experiential aspects of existence, as opposed to abstract, metaphysical ideals.
5. Contribution to Satirical Criticism
- Explanation: Bloom links Blake’s work to the genre of satire, particularly through his discussion of the “Memorable Fancies” and the “Proverbs of Hell.” He connects Blake’s satire to the tradition of using humor and irony to critique societal and religious norms, situating The Marriage of Heaven and Hell within the framework of satirical literature.
- Quotation: “The ‘Memorable Fancies,’ brilliant exercises in satire and humanism, form the bulk of the Marriage, and tend to evade Blake’s own dialectic.”
- Contribution: Bloom’s emphasis on the satirical elements of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell contributes to the understanding of how satire functions within literary texts. His analysis reveals how satire and irony work in tandem with dialectic to challenge and critique established ideas, enriching the critical conversation around satire as a form of social and philosophical commentary.
6. Contribution to Antinomianism and Religious Criticism
- Explanation: Bloom identifies Blake’s antinomian stance (the rejection of moral laws, especially religious ones) as central to The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. By rejecting traditional Christian dualism and embracing energy and desire, Blake contributes to literary theories that critique religious orthodoxy.
- Quotation: “Blake does not build truth by dialectic, being neither a rational mystic like Plato nor a mystic rationalist like Hegel.”
- Contribution: Bloom’s focus on Blake’s antinomianism highlights his radical rejection of institutional religion and its moral constraints. This contributes to literary theories that explore the relationship between literature and religion, particularly those that question established religious doctrines and advocate for individual freedom.
7. Contribution to Reader-Response Theory
- Explanation: Bloom’s analysis suggests that Blake’s work demands an active, interpretive engagement from readers, who must navigate the irony, rhetoric, and dialectical oppositions to uncover meaning. This aligns with reader-response theory, which emphasizes the role of the reader in constructing meaning from a text.
- Quotation: “The unity of the Marriage is in itself dialectical, and cannot be grasped except by the mind in motion, moving between the Blakean contraries of discursive irony and mythical visualization.”
- Contribution: By emphasizing the reader’s active role in making sense of Blake’s complex dialectical structure, Bloom’s analysis aligns with reader-response theory. This suggests that the text does not have a single, fixed meaning but instead requires readers to participate in the creation of meaning through their engagement with its contradictions.
Examples of Critiques Through “Dialectic in the Marriage of Heaven and Hell” by Harold Bloom
| Literary Work | Critique Through Bloom’s Framework | Key Concept from Bloom’s Analysis | Quotation from Bloom’s Article |
| John Milton’s Paradise Lost | Bloom suggests Blake read Paradise Lost “in its infernal or poetic sense,” seeing Satan as a tragic hero, subverting traditional readings of Satan as purely evil. | Blake’s dialectic challenges Christian dualism, viewing “evil” as necessary for progression. | “When, in another turn of the critical wheel, we go back to reading Paradise Lost in its infernal or poetic sense… we will have to condemn a generation of critical dogmatists.” |
| Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound | Similar to Blake’s apocalyptic vision, Shelley’s work reflects a dialectical apocalypse that critiques societal and religious structures. | Bloom connects Blake’s work to other apocalyptic Romantic works, showing how they embody dialectical tensions. | “Apocalypse is dialectical in the Marriage, as much so as in Shelley’s Prometheus or the poems by Yeats written out of A Vision.” |
| William Butler Yeats’ A Vision | Bloom critiques Yeats’ complex visionary system, seeing it as an extension of Blake’s dialectical method, but with more systematic elements. | Bloom suggests that Blake’s epics and visionary works, while dialectical, defy systems imposed by critics such as Frye. | “The schemata of those epics, though dialectical, are yet systematic; the local life in them maddeningly (but gratefully) defies the system.” |
| D.H. Lawrence’s Women in Love | Bloom contrasts Lawrence’s vision of sexual energy and human conflict with Blake’s dialectic, noting that Blake doesn’t fully accept the cyclical recurrence that Lawrence embraces. | Blake’s rejection of purely cyclical views of human existence, emphasizing instead the potential for progression through contraries. | “Blake is as earnest as Lawrence, and will not tolerate the vision of recurrence, as Nietzsche and Yeats do.” |
| Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra | Nietzsche’s concept of eternal recurrence is rejected by Blake’s dialectic. While both embrace contraries, Blake denies that these cycles are eternal or static. | Bloom shows how Blake’s dialectic offers a more fluid progression, rejecting Nietzschean recurrence as restrictive. | “The altogether human escapes cycle, evades irony, cannot be categorized discursively.” |
| John Keats’ Ode to a Nightingale | Through Bloom’s lens, Keats’ dialectic between life and death in the poem reflects Blake’s emphasis on the necessity of contraries for human experience. | The tension between opposites, such as joy and sorrow or life and death, mirrors Blake’s idea that contraries drive human existence. | “Without Contraries is no progression. Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence.” |
| James Joyce’s Ulysses | Bloom’s critique can be extended to Joyce’s stream-of-consciousness technique, which embodies a dialectical interplay between chaos and order in human experience. | Blake’s rejection of rigid forms and reliance on the interplay of contraries can be seen in Joyce’s modernist narrative technique. | “Blake does not build truth by dialectic, being neither a rational mystic like Plato nor a mystic rationalist like Hegel.” |
| Franz Kafka’s The Trial | Bloom’s framework can be applied to Kafka’s vision of the absurd, where the dialectic between justice and injustice is never resolved, reflecting the tensions in Blake’s work. | Kafka’s existential view of authority and law echoes Blake’s critique of institutional systems, showing how both writers leave tensions unresolved. | “The Marriage preaches the risen body breaking bounds, exploding upwards into psychic abundance… the altogether human escapes cycle.” |
| T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land | The fragmented structure and tension between hope and despair in The Waste Land can be critiqued using Blake’s dialectic of contraries. | Eliot’s juxtaposition of spiritual desolation and potential rebirth mirrors the dialectical tensions in Blake’s vision of apocalypse. | “Blake seeks reality in appearances, though he rejects appearance as it is perceived by the lowest-common-denominator kind of observer.” |
Summary of Key Concepts:
- Contraries vs. Negations: Blake’s contraries, unlike negations, coexist and are necessary for human experience and progression.
- Dialectical Apocalypse: Literary works that challenge institutional structures and present visionary or apocalyptic tensions can be critiqued using Blake’s dialectical approach.
- Irony and Rhetoric: Bloom’s focus on the limits of irony in Blake’s work allows for critiques of modernist and postmodernist texts that emphasize indeterminacy and unresolved tensions.
- Satirical Critique of Institutions: Blake’s work critiques religious and societal norms through satire, offering a framework for analyzing works that critique authority.
Criticism Against “Dialectic in the Marriage of Heaven and Hell” by Harold Bloom
1. Overemphasis on Blake’s Dialectic at the Expense of Other Themes
- Bloom focuses heavily on the dialectical structure of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, which may lead to an underappreciation of other thematic elements such as Blake’s mysticism, spiritual vision, and social critiques.
- Criticism: Bloom’s analysis may marginalize aspects of Blake’s work that extend beyond dialectical oppositions, such as his personal religious vision and critique of political tyranny.
2. Neglect of Historical and Cultural Context
- Bloom’s interpretation is primarily concerned with Blake’s philosophical and poetic frameworks, but it lacks sufficient engagement with the historical and political context in which Blake was writing (e.g., the French Revolution, Enlightenment thought).
- Criticism: By focusing on abstract dialectical analysis, Bloom may neglect the specific historical and political circumstances that influenced Blake’s work.
3. Ambiguity in Defining Dialectic and Contraries
- While Bloom discusses the role of contraries in Blake’s work, he doesn’t always clarify the distinction between dialectic as a formal method of argument and Blake’s more poetic, fluid use of contraries.
- Criticism: The ambiguity in Bloom’s explanation of Blake’s dialectic might leave readers unclear on how Blake’s contraries function differently from traditional philosophical dialectics (e.g., Hegelian dialectic).
4. Overreliance on Northrop Frye’s Anatomy Framework
- Bloom uses Northrop Frye’s concept of “anatomy” to interpret The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, but some critics might argue that this framework is imposed rather than inherent to Blake’s text.
- Criticism: Bloom’s reliance on Frye’s anatomy might limit alternative interpretations of Blake’s work that do not fit neatly into Frye’s categories.
5. Neglect of Blake’s Visual Art
- Bloom’s critique of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell primarily focuses on the textual and poetic elements, overlooking Blake’s visual art, which is inseparable from his poetic work.
- Criticism: Ignoring the visual aspect of Blake’s illuminated works diminishes the full scope of his artistic intentions, which combine both image and text to convey meaning.
6. Insufficient Exploration of Blake’s Religious Mysticism
- Blake’s unique mystical and religious views are central to his work, but Bloom’s focus on dialectic might downplay the more mystical, transcendental elements that are critical to understanding Blake’s vision.
- Criticism: Bloom does not sufficiently explore how Blake’s religious mysticism influences the dialectic, leaving out vital spiritual dimensions that are key to Blake’s philosophy.
7. Reduction of Blake’s Complexity to a Single Theoretical Lens
- By focusing so intently on the concept of contraries and dialectical tensions, Bloom may reduce the complexity of The Marriage of Heaven and Hell to a single theoretical lens, limiting a more holistic interpretation.
- Criticism: Bloom’s focus on dialectic may oversimplify the broader metaphysical, social, and poetic complexities of Blake’s work.
8. Lack of Engagement with Later Critical Developments
- Since the essay was published in 1958, it does not engage with later critical developments such as poststructuralism, gender theory, or postcolonial theory, which could offer new insights into Blake’s work.
- Criticism: Bloom’s analysis may feel dated or limited by its lack of engagement with more contemporary critical frameworks that could enrich the interpretation of Blake’s texts.
Representative Quotations from “Dialectic in the Marriage of Heaven and Hell” by Harold Bloom with Explanation
| Quotation | Explanation |
| 1. “Without Contraries is no progression. Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence.” | This quotation encapsulates Blake’s core philosophy, emphasizing the necessity of contraries (opposing forces) for growth and human experience. Bloom uses this as the foundation for his analysis of Blake’s dialectical worldview. |
| 2. “The Marriage compounds ethical and theological ‘contraries’; in form it mocks the categorical techniques that seek to make the contraries appear as ‘negations.’” | Here, Bloom explains how The Marriage of Heaven and Hell contrasts opposites like good and evil, but does not resolve them into a single truth. Instead, Blake mocks the tendency to simplify these contraries into mere negations. |
| 3. “The unity of the Marriage is in itself dialectical, and cannot be grasped except by the mind in motion, moving between the Blakean contraries of discursive irony and mythical visualization.” | Bloom highlights the difficulty of interpreting Blake’s work, arguing that readers must engage with its dialectical complexity, constantly shifting between different perspectives. The “mind in motion” reflects the active nature of understanding. |
| 4. “Apocalypse is dialectical in the Marriage, as much so as in Shelley’s Prometheus or the poems by Yeats written out of A Vision.” | This quotation links Blake’s apocalyptic vision with other Romantic and visionary writers, suggesting that Blake’s portrayal of apocalyptic transformation is deeply dialectical, like those in works by Shelley and Yeats. |
| 5. “The great difficulty of dialectical apocalypse is that it has got to present itself as prophetic irony, in which the abyss between aspiration and institution is both anticipated and denounced.” | Bloom emphasizes that Blake’s apocalyptic vision includes irony, wherein societal aspirations and institutions are both critiqued and anticipated. This highlights the duality of Blake’s vision, which foresees change while mocking institutions. |
| 6. “Blake seeks reality in appearances, though he rejects appearance as it is perceived by the lowest-common-denominator kind of observer.” | This quotation shows Blake’s rejection of simplistic views of reality. According to Bloom, Blake values appearances, but only when they are interpreted through imaginative and intellectual lenses rather than through surface-level perception. |
| 7. “Blake does not build truth by dialectic, being neither a rational mystic like Plato nor a mystic rationalist like Hegel.” | Bloom distances Blake from traditional dialectical thinkers like Plato and Hegel, arguing that Blake’s approach is neither purely mystical nor purely rational. Blake’s vision resists easy categorization and creates a unique approach to dialectic. |
| 8. “The ‘Memorable Fancies,’ brilliant exercises in satire and humanism, form the bulk of the Marriage, and tend to evade Blake’s own dialectic.” | Bloom points out that Blake’s satirical passages, known as the “Memorable Fancies,” often escape the dialectical structure of the work. These passages playfully critique established systems, while not being bound by Blake’s own philosophical approach. |
| 9. “Blake is as earnest as Lawrence, and will not tolerate the vision of recurrence, as Nietzsche and Yeats do.” | Bloom contrasts Blake with Nietzsche and Yeats, arguing that while all three explore the cycle of contraries, Blake rejects the idea of eternal recurrence. Blake sees human progression as capable of transcending cyclical limitations. |
| 10. “Religion seeks to end the warfare of contraries because it claims to know a reality beyond existence; Blake wants the warfare to continue because he seeks a reality within existence.” | This quotation contrasts Blake’s view with religious orthodoxy. Bloom explains that while religion seeks to resolve or end the tension between opposites, Blake embraces the ongoing struggle of contraries as essential to human existence and experience. |
Suggested Readings: “Dialectic in the Marriage of Heaven and Hell” by Harold Bloom
- Gross, David. “Infinite Indignation: Teaching, Dialectical Vision, and Blake’s Marriage of Heaven and Hell.” College English, vol. 48, no. 2, 1986, pp. 175–86. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/377299. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.
- Bloom, Harold. “Dialectic in the Marriage of Heaven and Hell.” PMLA, vol. 73, no. 5, 1958, pp. 501–04. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/460292. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.
- Schock, Peter A. “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: Blake’s Myth of Satan and Its Cultural Matrix.” ELH, vol. 60, no. 2, 1993, pp. 441–70. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2873386. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.
- Grant, John E. “THE ART AND ARGUMENT OF ‘THE TYGER.’” Texas Studies in Literature and Language, vol. 2, no. 1, 1960, pp. 38–60. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40753660. Accessed 7 Oct. 2024.