Blake and Time considered in latest edition of the Korean Studies journal, English

This paper attempts to illuminate William Blake’s concepts of time developed in Milton, in relation to Jacques Rancière’s discussion of “modern times.” Blake posits that human beings’ sensual perception of the empirical world is always intricately involved with temporality. He believes that multiple temporalities can co-exist and that one can discover a particular moment, which can transform the mechanical view of time, ultimately leading to a vision of eternity. Blake’s famous “vortex” passage emphasizes the possibility of interrupting the one-dimensional movement of time and thereby transcending a given particular time frame through the transformation of the ego. Rancière also argues for the simultaneity of different temporalities and focuses on “the time of revolt” that can cause a rupture in the stream of routinely organized time. Especially, Rancière highlights “the time of interruption,” which is exemplified in laborers’ diverse liberating activities during the nighttime. Both Blake and Rancière display a highly critical view of mathematical time that controls every aspect of human existence in modern society. Their industrious search for a way to resist the domination of mechanical time flow merits close attention, especially in the context of the contemporary world in which artificial intelligence and the fourth industrial revolution pose yet another challenge to our perception of time.