I suppose the easiest way to begin is to refer back to Jim's discussion of the "Worlds of Blake" and to how Thel's world fits into this sceme. Of all the things we talked about, the idea that innocence also suggests a kind of sterility really stands out to me for some reason, probably because we generally think of that term--and associated ones like "childhood"--in a positive light. Similarly, to see Thel's world (Beulah) as a place of sleep and the moon makes me think of dreams and escape. Certainly in my own life both sleep and dreams hold some pretty heavy-duty appeal.
But then, in looking again at Thel, I'm reminded of how frustrated this character is in her seeming paradise. Rather than enjoying the flowers and clouds and loveliness around her, she instead laments her lack of purpose and the inevitable (progeny-less?) end to her existence. She's entirely lost and unfortunately is all too aware that her life holds no meaning. Her innocence, in other words, has been tainted by an overabundance of knowledge and a preoccupation with her lack of experience.
Perhaps this is why the seeming consolation Thel receives (from her discussions with the lily, cloud, and earth) is forgotten at the end of the poem with the image of the grave and Thel's flight from its words. She still longs to live and experience and...and I don't know. She's just not happy with what she has or doesn't have, I suppose, and so isn't ready to relinquish her hold on life.
Oddly enough, Oothoon seems to have the opposite problem. She has too much experience--at least according to Theotormon. The speaker speaks of her independent traveling as "impetuous" (23), and it seems that she is made to pay for that impetuosity at the hands of Bromion. But Oothoon isn't willing to part with her innocence so easily. For her, innocence seems to be a state of mind rather than a physical manifestation. So any practical experience doesn't detract from who she is. On the other hand, I'm not sure that it adds to her identity either...basically because there seems to be not reconciliation between her and Theotormon and the Daughters are all still lamenting at the end.
Hmmm...looks like I didn't really answer the question, but I suppose my short answer is that I don't really believe there is really any resolution--or certainly no happy resolution--in the juxtaposition of innocence and experience. But, thinking back to Jim's presentation, I don't think that resolution's necessarily the point. Maybe Blake was really intending to leave us unsettled / unresolved. *shrugs*
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3 comments:
I am intrigued that Blake yanks the rug out from under us in regards to idyllic notions of "innocence." All of it--innocence and experience--seems pretty grim. Blake doesn't deal in absolutes, thus giving us little to no ground to stand on. I think you are correct in stating that we aren't really meant to come to any resolution--resolutions indicate ends, and it seems to me that Blake doesn't adopt a start-finish mentality. Maybe "frustration in paradise" is a potentially good thing, as it inspires change. Otherwise, docile complacency and sedentism lead to sterility. I am also careful not to assume that Blake regards production as something wholesome in its entirety either.
First off, I want to say that you have a really engaging writing style. Reading this post makes me feel as if I can see you thinking it! Your conclusion rings true, too, especially when you look at Thel's motto:
Does the Eagle know what is in the pit?
Or wilt thou go ask the Mole...
One of my favorite readings of Thel is that of WJT Mitchell, who claims that the resolution to the poem is in that motto. Throughout the poem Thel has "eagle knowledge," which might be equated with the sterile innocence that struck you in discussion. And Oothoon (and Thel at the end) has mole knowledge. That kind of earthy experience that includes sex and death. Mitchell thinks, and I sort of agree, Thel's lesson is that we need both eagle and mole knowledge, a sort of dialectic between innocence and experience. This may not be a conclusion, but if anything, its another riff on your thoughts here...
Bah! Why is nobody ever happy in their paradise? I'd happily while my hours away in a seeming paradise; ignorance is truly bliss, no?
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