Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience by William Blake

Upon reading William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, a certain parallel is easily discerned between them and Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Blake, considered a radical thinker in his time, is today thought to be an important and seminal figure in the literature of the Romantic period. Being such a figure he has no doubt helped to influence many great thinkers throughout history, one of whom I believe is Carroll. There are many instances throughout Carroll’s story where comparable concepts of innocence and adulthood are evident. Through its themes of romanticism, Carroll crafts a story that is anti-didactic by its very nature.

Before defending such claims, it’s necessary to expand on what values were held by the Romantics. To quote David Sandner “In Romantic works, the adult moves from teacher to student, from stern moralizing to the undisciplined child to patient listening to the wise instruction of the simple and imaginative child.” Romanticism was a movement that championed both nature and the imagination of children as a creative force. One of the primary beliefs were that children, unlike adults, were naturally good and innocent. It’s only when children were exposed to society were they corrupted. To quote Jean-Jacques Rousseau, often considered a father of Romanticism, "Everything is good as it comes from the hands of the Maker of the world, but degenerates once it gets into the hands of man" This mentality is contrary to John Locke’s idea of Tabula Rasa which claims that children are neither good or evil, rather, they’re a blank slate. It also contrasts the Puritan ideas of childhood which saw children as adults, both tainted by sin.

The ideas of Romanticism clearly permeates throughou...

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...sm. I’d argue that, although anti-didactic, the story does contain lessons. However, in true romantic fashion, they’re intended for the adults. To reiterate, the Romantics believed that children were good as they were. Any lessons included in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland would then be intended for adults, as are the lessons in Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. To paraphrase Carpenter, the innocence and imagination of childhood offers redemption to fallen adulthood.

Ultimately, Romanticism is responsible for transforming the purpose of children’s literature and, as a result, society's image of children. Thus, helping to establish the importance of the imagination. Through its themes of romanticism, Carroll crafts a story that is anti-didactic by its very nature. The innocence and imagination of childhood offers redemption to fallen adulthood.