Gnostic myth and ritual in the poetry of William Blake

This study demonstrates that William Blake's poetry contains numerous significant, precise Gnostic ritual and mythic motifs, that Blake may have obtained his knowledge of ritual initiation from Freemasonic sources, and that by means of the poetic genius he intuited Gnostic motifs that scholars have become aware of only after Blake's time.;Although Gnosticism has long been considered an element in Blake's work, only passing references have been made to such an influence, or, in the case of more recent scholarship, only the most obvious aspects of Gnosticism have been explored. My work here is intended to fill a need, for I am convinced that many of Blake's poems may be approached more easily from a Gnostic perspective.;It is hoped that this analysis will complement rather than replace other critical views concerning Blake's poetry.