Abstract
New Perspectives on Paul and Marx: William Blakes œThe Chimney Sweeper in Songs of Innocence and ExperienceLianna Jean Rose ManibogDepartment of English, BYUMaster of Arts This article explores the function of religion in socio-political spheres. Karl Marx is famously against religion in all its various capacities, arguing that it is a tool used by power structures to control the masses. William Blake, the British poet, is also seen as critical of religion, and because of this his works are often read through a Marxist lens. And yet depictions of Blake as a staunchly anti-religious man dont seem to fit with what we know of him and his works. This article reexamines key texts that deal with the question of how faith and society intersect, particularly reading the works of the Apostle Paul through a Jewish understanding. In doing so, we gain a new understanding of religion as a balancing weight that combats the dangers of the oppressive governments that Marx staunchly opposed.
Degree
MA
College and Department
Humanities; English
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Manibog, Lianna Jean, "New Perspectives on Paul and Marx: William Blake's <">The Chimney Sweeper<"> in <<>i>Songs of Innocence and Experience<<>/i>" (2018). Theses and Dissertations. 7337.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/7337
Date Submitted
2018-04-01
Document Type
Thesis
Handle
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd9897
Keywords
Karl Marx, William Blake, political theology, religion, marxism, Apostle Paul
Language
english