Songs of Innocence and Experience brings together two books of poetry by William Blake that delve into these two opposing states of the human soul. His Songs of Innocence are often cheerful and sweet and always demonstrate the purity of youth, as Blake explores themes of freedom, happiness, loss and religion. The optimism of innocence is keenly contrasted by Blake's Songs of Experience, which feature a more realistic and often darker view of the world. Originally published as two books with pages illustrated by the author, Songs of Innocence and Experience has often been considered a foundational work in Romantic period literature which surely inspired poets like Coleridge, Keats, Shelley, Wordsworth and Byron in the years that followed.
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