Why is the Bible more Entertaining & Instructive than any other Book? Is it
not because [it is] addressed to the Imagination, which is spiritual
sensation...?
Blake to Dr Trusler (23 August 1799)
In the biblical account Satan strikes a wager with God over Job (the perfect,
God-fearing man) claiming that his piety and obedience are due merely to his
material wealth. God allows Satan to test Job through various torments.
Despite years of terrible suffering Job does not reject God, though he comes
to realize that it is not enough to adhere to the letter of the law; one must
embrace it in spirit. He is rewarded by God with a return of abundant good
fortune.
The set of illustrations of the Book of Job is the last series that Blake
fully completed. The engravings were commissioned by John Linnell as a means
of providing Blake with badly needed financial assistance. A formal
agreement was drawn up in March 1823 according to which Blake would
receive £5 per plate or £100 for the set, plus profits from the sales.
The compositions are based on a set of watercolours originally made as far
back as c. 1805-6 and later traced and worked up. Blake's Job unfolds as a
metaphysical commentary that takes the form of an emblematic narrative in
which Blake employs the traditional technique of line engraving in quite
unconventional ways. He uses the margins to provide visual and textual
emphasis to points of meaning, and he incorporates symbolic images from his
personal mythology, combining them with quotes and paraphrases from other
biblical texts. His interpretation is personal, profound and many-layered
and it has been explained in various ways. A summary of the varying
interpretations appears in the catalogues. A point of departure for these
critical appraisals is Blake's belief in the centrality of the poetic vision
or spiritual awareness which is paralleled by the story of Job's own
spiritual awakening.
