Spector, Sheila D.

Wonders Divine. The Development of Blake's Kabbalistic Myth. [and] Glorious Incomprehensible. The Development of Blake's Kabbalistic Language.

2001. Lewisburg: Bucknell U.P., 2001.

2 vols., 4to, 213 and 202 pp. Extensively illustrated in b/w in both volumes. Black boards, dust-jackets, as new.

§ First (and only) printings of these important studies. Don Karr noted in a detailed review: "Spector leads us to the culmination of Blake’s development, where Blake creates a fully mystical language that, no longer interposing itself between the subjective consciousness and the ultimate referent, finally serves as the vehicle for achieving the via mystica. (“Glorious Incomprehensible,” 169) It will be interesting to see what the response of Blake scholars is to Spector’s confident presentation. From the other side—that of the kabbalah specialist—one must appreciate Spector’s care in circumscribing just which kabbalah she is talking about and her acknowledgement that, from a traditional Jewish standpoint, Blake’s kabbalistic sources leave quite a bit to be desired, especially given that they were written or translated by Christians either for Christians or for Jews to compel their conversion. Assuming that Spector’s thesis is correct—her argument and analysis are certainly persuasive—one can uncover much of what lay behind the progress of Blake’s obscure works as well as his methods in composing them." Item #124181

Price: $125.00