A Deconstructive Study of William Blake’s Selected Poems

This research paper explores the interpretive possibilities of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience through the lens of deconstructive criticism. Although published much before than the emergence of the deconstructive theory, Blake’s poetry works as key principles of the deconstructive critique. The paper situates Blake’s work within a theoretical framework informed by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida s’ deconstructive concepts. Moreover, it examines how Blake’s selected poems reflect internal contradictions and generate a self-reflexive critique of its own assumptions. Hereby, the study underscores the capacity of pre-deconstruction literary texts to offer a fertile ground for multiple critical inquiry and interpretation.