18th-Century Literature and Aesthetics PDF

**INGLESE** \#\#\# Notes \- \*\*New poetic sensibility\*\*: In the second half of the 18th century, poetry shifted towards more subjective and autobiographical content, moving away from the impersonal and noble eloquence of the early 18th century. Poets became less intellectual and more emotional,...

**INGLESE** \#\#\# Notes \- \*\*New poetic sensibility\*\*: In the second half of the 18th century, poetry shifted towards more subjective and autobiographical content, moving away from the impersonal and noble eloquence of the early 18th century. Poets became less intellectual and more emotional, focusing on generalized reflections rather than immediate experiences. \- \*\*Thematic change\*\*: There was a negative comparison between the noisy industrial city life and the serene countryside. Poets showed increasing interest in humble, everyday life, melancholy, and meditations on the suffering of the poor and death. This contributed to a new aesthetic focused on desolate, ancient elements like ruins, cemeteries, and castles. \- \*\*New concept of nature\*\*: The classical view of nature as a set of divine laws, governed by reason, was replaced by a view of nature as a living, dynamic force. This led to a new aesthetic theory based on individual consciousness rather than the imitation of classical precepts or the laws of nature. \- \*\*The sublime in aesthetics\*\*: Edmund Burke's 1757 work, \*A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful\*, introduced the distinction between the \"beautiful\" and the \"sublime.\" He elevated the sublime, which evoked strong emotions like pain, fear, and terror, over the beautiful. \- \*\*Sublime vs. beautiful\*\*: While the beautiful is associated with harmony and moderate emotions, the sublime is linked to vastness and terror. Burke argued that there is an inherent pleasure in feeling powerful emotions like fear, and that anything capable of provoking these feelings could be considered sublime. \#\#\# Notes \- \*\*New interests in fiction\*\*: In the late 18th century, there was a growing fascination with individual consciousness in fiction. This period saw an increasing focus on the strange, mysterious, and the idea of escaping from a harsh reality. Themes like the fear of evil overcoming good and chaos dominating order became prominent. This interest gave rise to the \*\*Gothic novel\*\*, which became popular across all social classes, aided by circulating libraries. Modern ghost and horror novels and films are direct descendants of the 18th-century Gothic novel. \- \*\*Origin of the term \'Gothic\'\*\*: The adjective \"Gothic\" was originally applied to architecture. Horace Walpole (1717-97) was the first to link it to literature. His obsession with his miniature castle, Strawberry Hill, inspired his novel \*The Castle of Otranto\* (1764), subtitled \*A Gothic Story\*, marking the first literary use of the term. \- \*\*Features of the Gothic novel\*\*: These novels aimed to evoke fear by exploring the mind's potential beyond reason, reflecting historical anxieties about Enlightenment rationality and violent revolutions in America and France. The settings were often ancient and isolated, like castles, abbeys, and convents with secret passages and dungeons, creating an atmosphere of darkness, mystery, and oppression. Key events usually happened at night, enhancing the gloom and sense of threat. \- \*\*Gothic characters\*\*: The Gothic hero was often isolated, either voluntarily or involuntarily. The heroine was typically tormented by unreal terrors and persecuted by a villain, who embodied evil. The wanderer or outcast, present in many Gothic tales, symbolized isolation, often as divine punishment. Plots were complex, featuring embedded narratives and supernatural elements like monsters, ghosts, vampires, and witches, which heightened suspense and mystery. \- \*\*Major works\*\*: After \*The Castle of Otranto\*, significant Gothic novels included \*The Mysteries of Udolpho\* (1794) by Ann Radcliffe, \*The Monk\* (1796) by Matthew Gregory Lewis, and \*Frankenstein\* (1818) by Mary Shelley. These works further developed the Gothic tradition with themes of fear, isolation, and supernatural beings. \#\#\# Life and Works of William Blake William Blake was born in London in 1757. Coming from humble origins, he remained poor throughout his life. He began his training as an engraver when he was a boy. After completing his apprenticeship, he studied at the Royal Academy of Arts. As both a painter and engraver, Blake broke away from conventional perspectives and proportions, creating a new form of art that emphasized the power of the imagination. He illustrated works by John Milton and the Bible and produced a cycle of drawings inspired by Dante's \*Divine Comedy\*. A political freethinker, Blake supported the French Revolution and maintained a radical stance throughout his life. He witnessed the negative effects of industrial development on the human soul and came to believe that the artist should assume a new role as the guardian of spirit and imagination. Blake had a profound sense of religion, and the Bible was the most significant literary influence on him, presenting a comprehensive vision of the world and its history. His experiences as a craftsman and visionary contributed to the development of his unique style, which is regarded as an early Romantic departure from neoclassical literary conventions. Blake emphasized the importance of imagination over reason, believing that artistic forms should be created not from the observation of nature but from inner vision. He developed the method of \'illuminated printing,\' which combined images and poetic text, making the illustrations an integral part of the poetry. His collections \*Songs of Innocence\* (1789) and \*Songs of Experience\* (1794) are among his most accessible works. \#\#\# Radical Poetry and Personal Mythology Blake\'s poetry is characterized by its radical themes and idealistic visions. He also published prophetic books in which he constructed a complex personal mythology. The first of these was \*The Marriage of Heaven and Hell\* (1790s), a prose work that blends aphorisms, anecdotes, and proverbs. In this work, Hell and Satan symbolize liberty and energy, while Heaven represents the place of lawgiving. \#\#\# Complementary Opposites Blake's interpretation of Christianity was not liturgical or moralistic. He acknowledged the existence of a spiritual world but criticized Christianity, especially the Church, for contributing to the fragmentation of consciousness and the dualism inherent in human life. He proposed a vision of 'complementary opposites' --- such as good and evil, male and female, reason and imagination, cruelty and kindness. Traditionally, individuals are thought to move from innocence to experience, as seen in the transition from childhood to adulthood. However, for Blake, these states exist not in a linear sequence but simultaneously. The possibility of progress lies in the tension between these opposite states of mind. Both states coexist not only in humans but also in the figure of the Creator, who embodies both the God of love and innocence and the God of energy and violence. Other prophetic books by Blake include \*Visions of the Daughters of Albion\* (1793), which critiques the conventions of sexual morality, especially those imposed on women; \*America: A Prophecy\* (1793); and \*Europe: A Prophecy\* (1794), which examine various political aspects of his time. \#\#\# \*Songs of Innocence\* and \*Songs of Experience\* \*Songs of Innocence\* was produced before the outbreak of the French Revolution, during a time when Blake\'s enthusiasm for liberal ideals was high. The narrator, a shepherd, receives inspiration from a child in a cloud, prompting him to pipe songs that celebrate the divine in all creation. The collection\'s symbols include lambs, flowers, and children playing on the village green. The poems explore childhood as a symbol of innocence, a state connected with happiness, freedom, and imagination. The language is simple and musical. \*Songs of Experience\* appeared during the period of the Terror in France. While Blake did not reject the songs of the innocent shepherd, he created a counterpart in the form of a bard who questions the themes of the previous collection. The visual world of \*Songs of Experience\* is more complex, presenting a more pessimistic view of life. These \"songs\" are meant to be read alongside \*Songs of Innocence\*, with paired poems commenting on each other and sometimes conveying an ironic perspective. Experience, associated with adulthood, coexists with and complements Innocence, offering another viewpoint on reality. \#\#\# Imagination and the Poet Blake regarded imagination, rather than sensory perceptions, as the means by which humanity could understand the world. Imagination, or 'the Divine Vision,' enables individuals to see beyond material reality into the essence of things. God, the child, and the poet share this power of vision, which also includes the power of creation. \#\#\# Social Concerns Blake was deeply concerned with the political and social issues of his time. He supported the abolition of slavery and the egalitarian principles of the French Revolution. Blake believed in revolution as a purifying force necessary for humanity's redemption. However, as he grew disillusioned, he turned his attention to the negative consequences of the Industrial Revolution, highlighting the injustices stemming from a materialistic attitude and the commercial exploitation of human beings. In his poems, he expressed sympathy for the victims of industrial society, including children and prostitutes, as well as those oppressed by institutions, such as orphans and soldiers. \#\#\# Style Blake\'s poetry is characterized by a simple structure and innovative use of symbols. He employed a core set of symbols: the child, the father, and Christ, representing the states of innocence, experience, and a higher form of innocence. His verse is linear and rhythmic, demonstrating a close relationship between sound and meaning, and is marked by frequent repetition. **ONLINE** **Contrasting Themes**: The main theme in *Songs of Innocence* and *Songs of Experience* is the opposition between two states of human existence: innocence, symbolized by a joyful, Eden-like world, and experience, representing harsh reality, suffering, and injustice. **Complementary States**: Despite the opposition, innocence and experience are complementary. Blake acknowledges that while innocence represents an ideal, uncorrupted state, it is ultimately an illusion, as the real world is dominated by cruelty and selfishness. **Symbolism of The Lamb and The Tyger**: The poems *The Lamb* and *The Tyger* embody these two states. The lamb symbolizes innocence and purity, as well as Christ\'s sacrificial love. In contrast, the tiger represents terror, suffering, and the darker side of human experience, evoking the complexity of the world and the coexistence of good and evil. **Rhetorical Structure**: Both poems employ rhetorical questions to explore the mystery of their respective creatures\' creators, particularly focusing on the relationship between the creator of innocence (the lamb) and the creator of experience (the tiger). **Blake\'s Poetic Vision**: Blake's worldview was shaped by his rejection of traditional Christian doctrine and Enlightenment rationalism. Instead, he believed in the power of imagination and intuition, which for him were essential tools for true understanding of the world. **Imagination as Reality**: For Blake, imagination was not just a mental exercise but the essence of human existence, allowing individuals to see beyond the physical world and grasp a deeper, symbolic truth about life and divinity. **Stylistic Simplicity**: Despite their simple, musical structure, the complexity of Blake's symbols and the interplay between innocence and experience give his poems deep philosophical significance. **I testi** In \*The Lamb\* and \*The Tyger\*, two poems from William Blake\'s \*Songs of Innocence\* and \*Songs of Experience\* collections, Blake explores the themes of innocence and experience through the symbolic imagery of two animals: a lamb and a tiger. These animals serve as metaphors for opposing forces in human existence---innocence, purity, and goodness on the one hand, and experience, fear, and the darker aspects of creation on the other. In \*The Lamb\*, Blake\'s speaker, seemingly a child, asks a rhetorical question: "Little Lamb, who made thee?" (line 7), reflecting the childlike wonder at the simplicity and gentleness of the lamb. The poem employs a repetitive, song-like structure, reinforcing the purity and simplicity of the lamb\'s innocence. The speaker praises the lamb's characteristics---its soft wool, tender voice, and joyful presence in nature: "softest clothing wooly bright, / making all the vales rejoice!" (lines 5-7). These traits of the lamb not only symbolize innocence but also reflect the purity and meekness of Christ, often referred to as the \"Lamb of God\" (reference 5). The second stanza reveals that the creator of the lamb is none other than God himself, aligning the lamb with Christ: "He is called by thy name, / for he calls himself a Lamb" (lines 11-12). The poem then emphasizes the unity between Christ, the lamb, and the child, as Blake underscores the idea that all are created in the image of divine innocence. By contrast, \*The Tyger\* presents a much darker and more complex creature. The poem opens with the iconic lines, "Tyger, Tyger, burning bright / in the forests of the night" (lines 1-2), immediately conveying a sense of awe and terror through the imagery of fire and darkness. The tiger's "fearful symmetry" (line 4) suggests a paradoxical beauty, as the creature embodies both danger and magnificence. The speaker\'s rhetorical questions intensify as they ask who could have created such a fierce and terrifying being: "What immortal hand or eye / could frame thy fearful symmetry?" (lines 3-4). Unlike \*The Lamb\*, the speaker in \*The Tyger\* never receives an answer, leaving the reader to ponder the mystery of the tiger's origins and the nature of its creator (reference 17). The contrast between the lamb and the tiger is made explicit in \*The Tyger\* when Blake asks, "Did He who made the Lamb make thee?" (line 20). This question highlights the dichotomy between the two creatures: the lamb, symbolizing innocence and divine goodness, and the tiger, representing the darker, more dangerous aspects of creation and experience. The speaker wonders whether the same God who created such a gentle creature could also be responsible for something so fearsome, invoking deep philosophical questions about the coexistence of good and evil in the world (reference 19). Blake\'s use of structure and language in both poems further underscores their thematic differences. \*The Lamb\* follows a simple, repetitive pattern, much like a nursery rhyme, with regular rhyming couplets and a gentle, flowing rhythm, which mirrors the purity of its subject. The speaker\'s tone is soft and comforting, befitting the innocent lamb. In contrast, \*The Tyger\* is marked by a more complex and jagged rhythm, as the speaker\'s questions tumble over one another, reflecting the intensity and ferocity of the tiger. The repeated use of \"dare\" (lines 7 and 16), alongside the poem's insistent rhetorical questions, emphasizes the boldness required to create such a powerful being. Ultimately, \*The Lamb\* and \*The Tyger\* represent two sides of the human experience: innocence and experience, goodness and evil, gentleness and terror. Blake's pairing of these poems, along with their religious and symbolic overtones, invites readers to reflect on the nature of creation and the divine, questioning how such contrasting forces can coexist in the universe. The simplicity and clarity of \*The Lamb\* provide a stark contrast to the complexity and mystery of \*The Tyger\*, yet both animals, and the divine forces behind them, are integral to understanding the full spectrum of human existence. **Testo ideale** In comparing William Blake's \*Songs of Innocence\* and \*Songs of Experience\* with the works of Ugo Foscolo, particularly in the context of philosophical reflections on human experience and creation, we uncover a rich interplay between contrasting visions of existence. Blake's poems, \*The Lamb\* and \*The Tyger\*, represent two opposing but complementary states of being: innocence and experience, simplicity and complexity, gentleness and terror. Similarly, Foscolo's \*Dei Sepolcri\* engages with themes of mortality, legacy, and the emotional depth of human life. Both poets delve into the human condition, the mystery of creation, and the coexistence of beauty and terror, invoking philosophical ideas that resonate with Kant's aesthetics of the sublime. Blake's \*The Lamb\* from \*Songs of Innocence\* evokes a world of purity and serenity. The speaker, possibly a child, marvels at the simplicity and beauty of the lamb, a creature whose soft wool, tender voice, and connection to Christ symbolize innocence and divine love. The lamb, in Blake's poetry, is not only a representation of childlike purity but also a metaphor for Christ, the "Lamb of God" (reference 5). Blake's repetitive and song-like structure mirrors the innocence of the subject, with simple questions that receive straightforward answers: "Little Lamb, who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee?" (lines 7-8). The lamb's creator is God, emphasizing the unity between Christ, the lamb, and humanity in a divine state of innocence. In contrast, \*The Tyger\* from \*Songs of Experience\* introduces a darker and more complex creature, embodying the fierce, terrifying aspects of creation. The speaker's awe and fear are conveyed through the iconic opening lines, "Tyger, Tyger, burning bright / in the forests of the night" (lines 1-2), where the imagery of fire and darkness symbolizes the tiger's paradoxical beauty and danger. Blake's rhetorical questions---"What immortal hand or eye / could frame thy fearful symmetry?" (lines 3-4)---intensify the sense of mystery surrounding the tiger's creator, who remains unnamed and elusive. The contrast between the lamb and the tiger reaches its climax when Blake asks, "Did He who made the Lamb make thee?" (line 20). This question reveals Blake's preoccupation with the coexistence of good and evil in the world, echoing deeper philosophical concerns about the nature of creation and the divine. This thematic dichotomy in Blake's poetry---between innocence and experience, good and evil---can be paralleled with Ugo Foscolo's \*Dei Sepolcri\*. In this poem, Foscolo reflects on death, memory, and the human desire for immortality through the preservation of one's legacy. Much like Blake's exploration of opposing forces, Foscolo grapples with the tension between the inevitability of death and the human quest for eternal remembrance. The sepulchres, or graves, symbolize the physical remnants of life, yet they also become monuments to the spiritual and intellectual legacy that transcends death. Foscolo's concern with mortality and the emotional power of memory resonates with Blake's exploration of innocence and experience, as both poets contemplate the transient yet profound nature of human existence. Moreover, both Blake and Foscolo's works engage with the idea of the sublime as articulated by Immanuel Kant. In Kantian aesthetics, the sublime is that which is vast, powerful, and beyond human comprehension, evoking both fear and pleasure. The tiger in Blake's poem embodies this Kantian sublime. Its "fearful symmetry" (line 4) and the speaker's repeated question of "what immortal hand or eye" (line 3) that dared to create such a creature mirror the overwhelming awe and terror associated with the sublime. The tiger, with its fiery presence and untamable nature, symbolizes the immense and incomprehensible forces of the universe, which, according to Kant, elicit a paradoxical sense of pleasure in the human soul. This pleasure arises from humanity's recognition of its own limitations in the face of the infinite---an idea Foscolo also touches upon in \*Dei Sepolcri\*, where the vastness of death and memory challenges human understanding yet offers a form of emotional catharsis. Kant's philosophy explains that humans derive pleasure from confronting the vast and infinite because, although they cannot fully comprehend it, such experiences evoke a sense of transcendence. In Blake's \*The Tyger\*, this concept is central to the poem's exploration of creation and the divine. The tiger's ferocity and magnificence are beyond the speaker's comprehension, and yet, by contemplating the mystery of its creator, the speaker---and by extension, the reader---experiences a form of sublime wonder. Similarly, in Foscolo's \*Dei Sepolcri\*, the contemplation of death and the enduring power of memory allows the reader to transcend the immediate reality of mortality, finding beauty and meaning in the vastness of human experience and legacy. Blake and Foscolo also share an interest in the role of imagination in human life. For Blake, imagination is the means by which individuals perceive the world's deeper truths, beyond the material and rational. This aligns with his portrayal of the child, lamb, and poet as figures who embody "the Divine Vision" (reference 6). Foscolo, too, places great emphasis on the emotional and imaginative aspects of human existence, particularly in \*Dei Sepolcri\*, where he explores the power of art and memory to immortalize human emotions and ideals. Both poets, therefore, view the imagination as a bridge between the finite and the infinite, the real and the ideal. In conclusion, William Blake's \*The Lamb\* and \*The Tyger\* offer a profound meditation on the dualities of human existence---innocence and experience, purity and terror---while Ugo Foscolo's \*Dei Sepolcri\* similarly contemplates the tension between life and death, mortality and legacy. Both poets engage with the Kantian idea of the sublime, exploring the pleasure humans derive from contemplating the vast and incomprehensible. Through their use of symbolic imagery and philosophical inquiry, Blake and Foscolo invite readers to reflect on the complexity of creation, the nature of the divine, and the role of imagination in transcending the limits of human understanding. Gothic literature, emerging in the late 18th century, is characterized by a fascination with the supernatural, the mysterious, and the macabre. Often set in gloomy and desolate landscapes, such as ancient castles, ruins, or remote, untamed forests, Gothic novels evoke a sense of foreboding and dread. These settings play a crucial role in creating the eerie atmosphere that defines the genre, with dark, shadowy corners and imposing architecture that suggests hidden secrets and forgotten histories. The bleak and isolated environments mirror the emotional turmoil of the characters, amplifying the themes of fear, decay, and the unknown. The characters in Gothic novels are often marked by their complexity and moral ambiguity. Protagonists may be haunted by inner demons or supernatural forces, while antagonists frequently embody the extremes of human nature---cruelty, madness, and obsession. Figures such as the tormented hero, the tragic villain, the innocent yet endangered heroine, and the vengeful ghost are common archetypes within the genre. These characters are often embroiled in stories that explore themes of power, sin, retribution, and the supernatural. A central element of Gothic literature is the blurring of the boundaries between the natural and the supernatural, between rationality and madness, which leads to an exploration of the darker, hidden aspects of the human psyche. In addition to its characters and settings, Gothic literature delves into universal themes, such as the fragility of human life, the inevitability of death, and the mysteries of the afterlife. These themes are often heightened by the presence of supernatural elements---ghosts, curses, and ancient prophecies---that create an atmosphere of suspense and fear. The tension between the known and the unknown, between reality and the imagination, is a hallmark of Gothic fiction, inviting readers to question the nature of reality and the limits of human understanding. In many ways, these themes align with the philosophical concept of the sublime, which also emphasizes the awe-inspiring and terrifying aspects of human experience. In comparing William Blake's \*Songs of Innocence\* and \*Songs of Experience\* with the works of Ugo Foscolo, particularly in the context of philosophical reflections on human experience and creation, we uncover a rich interplay between contrasting visions of existence. Blake's poems, \*The Lamb\* and \*The Tyger\*, represent two opposing but complementary states of being: innocence and experience, simplicity and complexity, gentleness and terror. Similarly, Foscolo's \*Dei Sepolcri\* engages with themes of mortality, legacy, and the emotional depth of human life. Both poets delve into the human condition, the mystery of creation, and the coexistence of beauty and terror, invoking philosophical ideas that resonate with Kant's aesthetics of the sublime. Blake's \*The Lamb\* from \*Songs of Innocence\* evokes a world of purity and serenity. The speaker, possibly a child, marvels at the simplicity and beauty of the lamb, a creature whose soft wool, tender voice, and connection to Christ symbolize innocence and divine love. The lamb, in Blake's poetry, is not only a representation of childlike purity but also a metaphor for Christ, the "Lamb of God." Blake's repetitive and song-like structure mirrors the innocence of the subject, with simple questions that receive straightforward answers: "Little Lamb, who made thee? / Dost thou know who made thee?" The lamb's creator is God, emphasizing the unity between Christ, the lamb, and humanity in a divine state of innocence. In contrast, \*The Tyger\* from \*Songs of Experience\* introduces a darker and more complex creature, embodying the fierce, terrifying aspects of creation. The speaker's awe and fear are conveyed through the iconic opening lines, "Tyger, Tyger, burning bright / in the forests of the night," where the imagery of fire and darkness symbolizes the tiger's paradoxical beauty and danger. Blake's rhetorical questions---"What immortal hand or eye / could frame thy fearful symmetry?"---intensify the sense of mystery surrounding the tiger's creator, who remains unnamed and elusive. The contrast between the lamb and the tiger reaches its climax when Blake asks, "Did He who made the Lamb make thee?" This question reveals Blake's preoccupation with the coexistence of good and evil in the world, echoing deeper philosophical concerns about the nature of creation and the divine. This thematic dichotomy in Blake's poetry---between innocence and experience, good and evil---can be paralleled with Ugo Foscolo's \*Dei Sepolcri\*. In this poem, Foscolo reflects on death, memory, and the human desire for immortality through the preservation of one's legacy. Much like Blake's exploration of opposing forces, Foscolo grapples with the tension between the inevitability of death and the human quest for eternal remembrance. The sepulchres, or graves, symbolize the physical remnants of life, yet they also become monuments to the spiritual and intellectual legacy that transcends death. Foscolo's concern with mortality and the emotional power of memory resonates with Blake's exploration of innocence and experience, as both poets contemplate the transient yet profound nature of human existence. Moreover, both Blake and Foscolo's works engage with the idea of the sublime as articulated by Immanuel Kant. In Kantian aesthetics, the sublime is that which is vast, powerful, and beyond human comprehension, evoking both fear and pleasure. The tiger in Blake's poem embodies this Kantian sublime. Its "fearful symmetry" and the speaker's repeated question of "what immortal hand or eye" that dared to create such a creature mirror the overwhelming awe and terror associated with the sublime. The tiger, with its fiery presence and untamable nature, symbolizes the immense and incomprehensible forces of the universe, which, according to Kant, elicit a paradoxical sense of pleasure in the human soul. This pleasure arises from humanity's recognition of its own limitations in the face of the infinite---an idea Foscolo also touches upon in \*Dei Sepolcri\*, where the vastness of death and memory challenges human understanding yet offers a form of emotional catharsis. Kant's philosophy explains that humans derive pleasure from confronting the vast and infinite because, although they cannot fully comprehend it, such experiences evoke a sense of transcendence. In Blake's \*The Tyger\*, this concept is central to the poem's exploration of creation and the divine. The tiger's ferocity and magnificence are beyond the speaker's comprehension, and yet, by contemplating the mystery of its creator, the speaker---and by extension, the reader---experiences a form of sublime wonder. Similarly, in Foscolo's \*Dei Sepolcri\*, the contemplation of death and the enduring power of memory allows the reader to transcend the immediate reality of mortality, finding beauty and meaning in the vastness of human experience and legacy. Blake and Foscolo also share an interest in the role of imagination in human life. For Blake, imagination is the means by which individuals perceive the world's deeper truths, beyond the material and rational. This aligns with his portrayal of the child, lamb, and poet as figures who embody "the Divine Vision." Foscolo, too, places great emphasis on the emotional and imaginative aspects of human existence, particularly in \*Dei Sepolcri\*, where he explores the power of art and memory to immortalize human emotions and ideals. Both poets, therefore, view the imagination as a bridge between the finite and the infinite, the real and the ideal. In conclusion, William Blake's \*The Lamb\* and \*The Tyger\* offer a profound meditation on the dualities of human existence---innocence and experience, purity and terror---while Ugo Foscolo's \*Dei Sepolcri\* similarly contemplates the tension between life and death, mortality and legacy. Both poets engage with the Kantian idea of the sublime, exploring the pleasure humans derive from contemplating the vast and incomprehensible. Through their use of symbolic imagery and philosophical inquiry, Blake and Foscolo invite readers to reflect on the complexity of creation, the nature of the divine, and the role of imagination in transcending the limits of human understanding.