William Blake’in Fransız Devrimi ve “Kaplan” Adlı Şiirlerine Gazetelerin Etkisi

Bu çalışma, William Blake’in Fransız Devrimi algısına gazetelerin etkisini arşiv belgeleri ışığında araştırmaktadır. Söz konusu devrim, Blake’in şiirini derinden etkileyen en önemli olaylardan biridir. Lakin, şairin devrimin olaylarından nasıl haberdar olduğu ve kaynaklarının neler olduğu ciddi bir tartışma konusudur. Çeşitli akademik çalışmalar, şairin devrimin çalkantılı olaylarını politikacıların açıklamalarından Joseph Jonson’ın akşam yemeği sohbetlerine, gazetelerden Thomas Paine ve Edmund Burke’ün siyasi yazılarına kadar birçok kaynak aracılığıyla yakından takip ettiğini ortaya koymuştur. Bu kaynaklar arasında Blake için en önemli olanı, erişilebilirliği ve devrim hakkında sürekli bilgi akışı sağlaması nedeniyle gazetelerdir. Bu bağlamda, bu çalışma, Blake'in Fransız Devrimi (1791) ve “Tyger” (1792-93) şiirlerine gazete arşivleri ışığında odaklanarak erken dönem Fransız Devrimi'nin William Blake'e etkisinin dönemin gazeteleriyle şekillendiğini iddia etmektedir. Dahası, gazetelerin erken dönem Fransız Devrimi’ni kucaklayıcı, özgürleştirici ve bunların ötesinde barışçı bir kuvvet olarak göstermesi Blake’i etkilemiş ve bu söylem şiirlerine doğrudan yansımıştır. Terör Dönemi olarak da bilinen, devrimin en kanlı olaylarının yaşanmaya başladığı 1793 yılı itibariyle, devrimin İngiliz monarşisine tehdit oluşturması sebebiyle gazeteler devrim karşıtı söylem kullanmaya başlamıştır. Bu dönemde Blake, gazeteleri kullanmaya devam etmiş lakin artık haberlerin içeriklerini direkt kullanmaktansa devrimi ve devrimcileri canavarca gösteren olumsuz haberlerdeki imgeleri, onlara olumlu anlamlar yükleyerek kullanmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

William Blake, Romantizm, Fransız Devrimi, Kaplan; gazete, şiir

The Impact of Newspapers on William Blake’s The French Revolution and “Tyger”

This study explores the impact of newspapers on William Blake’s perception of the French Revolution in the light of archival documents. The Revolution is indeed one of the defining events that deeply influenced the poetry of Blake. However, how the poet learned about the course of the events in France and what his sources were have been a matter of debate. Various studies indicated that the poet followed the turbulent events of the Revolution closely through several sources ranging from the political statements of the politicians to the dinner conversations at Joseph Jonson’s, from newspapers to the sophisticated political works of Thomas Paine and Edmund Burke. Among these sources, the newspapers appear to be the most influential source for Blake due to their accessibility and ability to provide a constant flow of information about the events of the Revolution. Accordingly, focusing on Blake’s The French Revolution (1791) and “Tyger” (1792-93) in the light of the original newspaper documents from British archives, this study hypothesises that the impact of the early phases of the French Revolution on William Blake’s poetry was shaped by the newspapers of the period. Furthermore, the newspapers’ representation of the Revolution as an embracing, liberating and pacifist force had direct impact on Blake’s poetry. After 1793, the Revolution entered into a new bloody phase, also known as The Reign of Terror Period, during which many people, including the members of the monarchy, were executed. This new phase posed threat for the British monarchy; therefore, the newspapers of the period started to employ counter-revolutionary discourse. During this period, Blake continued to use newspapers as a source, however, instead of using the content of the columns directly, he subverted the news by attributing positive connotations to the monstrous image of revolution and revolutionaries.

Keywords:

William Blake, Romanticism, French Revolution, Tyger; newspapers, poetry,

PDF

___

“A NATIONAL REVOLUTION.” (20 July 1789). The World [Clipping from the column], p. 2. Newspapers.com archives.
Aers, D. (1987). Representations of Revolution: From the French Revolution to the Four Zoas. In D. Miller, M. Bracher, & D. Ault (Eds), Critical paths: Blake & the argument of method. (pp. 244–270). Duke University Press.
Barker, H. (2000). Newspapers, politics and English society: 1695-1855. Longman Press.
Berger, P. (2012). William Blake: Poet and mystic. Nabu Press.
Blake, W. (1972). Blake: Complete writings with variant readings (Geoffrey Keynes, Ed.). Oxford University Press.
Bronowski, J. (1972). William Blake and the age of revolution. Routledge.
Camp at Bagshot.” (13 June 1792). The evening mail [Clipping from the column], p. 4. Newspapers.com archives.
Chesterton, G. K. (1920). William Blake. Turnbuil & Spears.
Connolly, T. J. (2002). William Blake and the body. Palgrave Macmillan.
Damon, S. F. (2013). A Blake dictionary: The ideas and symbols of William Blake. NH: Dartmouth College Press.
Darnton, R. (1989). How the spirit of 89 mobilized a will to build a new world. Princeton Alumni Weekly, 1-5.
Swanson D.F., and Trout, A. P. (1990) The celebrated Mr. Neckar and public credit. The William and Mary Quarterly 47(3), 422-430.
Duke of Orleans and Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.” (04 January 1790). The Times [Clipping from the column], 2. Newspapers.com archives.
Erdman, D. V. (1954). Blake: Prophet against empire: A poets interpretation of the history of his own times. Princeton University Press.
Erickson, C. (2004). To the Scaffold: The life of Marie Antoinette. Griffin Press.
“Flames of Liberty.” (1790). The London chronicle [Clipping from the column], p. 2. Newspapers.com archives.
“France and England.” (09 July 1789). The Times [Clipping from the column], p. 2. Newspapers.com archives.
“France.” (08 July 1789). The Times [Clipping from the column], p. 2. Newspapers.com archives.
Hibbert, C. (1982). The French Revolution. Penguin Press.
Jarrells, A. S. (2012). Britain's bloodless revolutions: 1688 and the romantic reform of literature. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Johnson, A. (2013). Louis XVI and the French Revolution. McFarland & Company.
“Justice.” (1790). The English Chronicle [Clipping from the column], p. 2. Newspapers.com archives.
Kelly, G. A. (1979). The Machine of the Duc D'Orléans and the New Politics. The Journal of Modern History, 51(4): 667–684.
Lecky, W. (1887). History of England in the Xviii. Century (Vol. 6). D.Appleton and Company.
Lefebvre, G. (2005). The French Revolution. Routledge. Macleod, E. V. “British attitudes to the French Revolution.” The Historical Journal 50.3 (2007): pp. 689–709. JSTOR. Web. 12 Jan. 2020.
“Military Evolutions.” (24 May 1792). London Chronicle [Clipping from the column], p. 1. Newspapers.com archives.
Mori, J. (2016). Britain in the age of the French Revolution: 1785-1820. Routledge.
“Mr. Necker’s Return.” (04 August 1789). The Times [Clipping from the column], p. 4. Newspapers.com archives.
“Necker.” (09 July 1789). The Times [Clipping from the column]: 2. Newspapers.com archives.
Neely, S. (2008). A concise history of the French Revolution. Rowman & Littlefield.
“News of the Revolution in France.” (12 July 1791). London Chronicle [Clipping from the column]: p.2. Newspapers.com archives.
“Orleans in England.” (29 October 1789). The Times [Clipping from the column]: 1. Newspapers.com archives.
Paulson, R. (1983). Representations of revolution, 1789-1820. New Haven: Yale Univ Press.
Prickett, S. (1989). England and the French Revolution. Macmillan.
“Preparations.” (30 July 1793). The Evening Mail [Clipping from the column]: p. 2. Newspapers.com archives.
“Speech of Dupont.” (03 February 1793). The Observer [Clipping from the column]: 4. Newspapers.com archives.
Swanson, D. F., and Trout, A. P. (1990). Alexander Hamilton, “the Celebrated Mr. Neckar,” and Public Credit. The William and Mary Quarterly, 47(3): pp. 422–430.
“Vengeance of Europe.” (25 January 1793). London Times [Clipping from the column]: p.1. Newspapers.com archives.
“Violence.” (10 September 1792). London Times [Clipping from the column]. p. 1. Newspapers.com archives.