a b Dean, Ruth (1999), Anglo-Norman Literature: A Guide to Texts and Manuscripts, pp.26–30 , cited by Fisher, Matthew (2004). Once Called Albion: The Composition and Transmission of History Writing in England, 1280–1350 (Thesis). Oxford University. p.25. Archived from the original on 2014-03-09. . Fisher: "five distinct versions of Des Grantz Geanz: the octosyllabic, alexandrine, prose, short verse, and short prose versions survive in 34 manuscripts, ranging in date from the first third of the fourteenth to the second half of the fifteenth century" Therefore when Jane Peterson wrote in 1973 that “ Visions of the Daughters of Albion has not yet been discussed as Blake’s portrayal of the problem of perception,” the observation was fair, yet her solution did not heal the divide (253). Instead, as in Mark Bracher’s “The Metaphysical Grounds of Oppression in Blake’s Visions of the Daughters of Albion,” the epistemological sections are abstracted, made dominant, and used to insist upon autonomous individual responsibility for all outcomes, which are ultimately based on “the metaphysical decision which one makes” (Bracher 164). Vernon E. Lattin, for example, finds that “the condition of Oothoon’s enslavement is her mental attitude” (14). These approaches ignore how Oothoon deconstructs the structures that inculcate such metaphysics to begin with. Relating the centre of the poem to the ‘action’ will show that ‘Urizenic’ perception is not merely an unfortunate individual choice made in a vacuum of non-ideological freedom. However, his daughters were said to be very proud and strong-willed women who wanted their own wellbeing and desires met. They were fiercely independent and hated the idea of being married to men who were not of their own choosing and did not love. To them it was an indignity and an insult to have to be subjugated in any way to any man regardless of how rich and powerful he was or whatever benefits it might bring for their father’s kingdom. A Murderous Plot Sympathetic critical identification with Theotormon has obscured the extent to which critical enterprises have enacted the same dualistic denigration of the material and the body (and its associated idea of the ‘female’). Theotormon’s response is “moving,” writes Bloom, because “all men have suffered his jealousy,” but “to seek to possess, to appropriate another, is to diminish a human subject into a natural object” (111-2, 116, my emphasis). A fallen world that is impure and inert implies a fallen body that needs domination and control, in Frye’s words, “there for us to transform” (39). This calls to mind Bruder’s survey of late-eighteenth-century constructions of female sexuality as both passive, needing transformation, and ravenous, needing domination and control (65). In similar fashion, the removal of agency is justified by critical revision of Bromion’s rape of Oothoon as something she authored, because “[t]he feelings Bromion felt roused in him were against his consent” (Butler 46). “The trouble with Oothoon’s Thel-like prettiness,” continues Butler, “is that…[it] functions as a lure not for any particular man but all men—including, in Oothoon’s case, the reader” (45). “Oothoon has engaged in an extra-marital amour, apparently with Bromion,” was Frye’s phrase (239), but more recently too John C. Hampsey is able to write that “the poem is a prophetic cautionary fable about women who are unable to celebrate life and desire” (100). The constructed community of criticism—“all men,” “us”—has led to a selective tradition that favours certain versions of the text. William Blake’s ‘Visions of the Daughters of Albion’ is a poem that explores the theme of sexual freedom. The poem is a critique of the societal norms that restrict women’s sexual freedom and agency. Blake portrays the protagonist, Oothoon, as a victim of sexual oppression and violence. Oothoon is a virgin who is forced into sexual relations with a man named Bromion. Blake uses Oothoon’s story to highlight the double standards that exist in society when it comes to sexual freedom. Men are allowed to have multiple sexual partners, while women are expected to remain chaste until marriage. Blake’s poem challenges these norms and argues for the liberation of women’s sexuality. The theme of sexual freedom is a recurring motif in Blake’s work, and ‘Visions of the Daughters of Albion’ is a powerful example of his critique of sexual oppression. The Theme of Oppression

The epigraph to this chapter is drawn from E. P. Thompson’s study of Blake’s antinomian tendencies, Witness Against the Beast: William Blake and the Moral Law. Working in the tradition of historians A.L. Morton and Christopher Hill, Thompson noted the striking similarities between radical cultures of antinomian Dissent—such as the Ranters—and Blake’s idiosyncratic style, and traced the possible transmission of these cultures through to Blake. Subsequent scholarship has both challenged and focused this connection. Keri Davies and Marsha Keith Schuchard disproved Thompson’s hypothesis of a maternal Muggletonian connection by discovering Blake’s mother’s connections with the evangelical Moravian church, yet as Thompson himself writes, his “argument does not stand or fall upon the Muggletonian hypothesis” (106). Hill and Thompson note the prevalence of antinomian currents in the late eighteenth-century, with “innumerable reprints of seventeenth-century antinomian books and pamphlets” (Thompson 6 and passim, Hill 214-226). John Mee argues that the “conscious revival of ranting ideas” arose from a similar historical moment rather than any direct lived tradition (“Heresy” 43). It is not my endeavour to establish precisely where and how Blake encountered a cluster of immanent visions: either way provides a vocabulary and historical grounding to the enriched materialism which Blake’s work presents. The assumptions Makdisi notes are understandable when we see, as detailed above, how universal knowledge claims have been invoked in service of biased and historically bound gender norms. But it must be remembered that despite his approval of Paine’s politics, Blake still saw something missing in the greater scheme of anatomizing the logic of domination. Critics such as Bruder have shown that Visions relates to specific late-eighteenth-century forms of, in her word, “literal” enslavement and patriarchal oppression, and is not a disembodied psychological or spiritual allegory (77). Having done so, is there now space to extend the understanding of Blake as “deeply engaged with politics and history” (Otto 14), to include the disorienting politics of Blake’s nondualist epistemology? In other words, is it possible to reintegrate the dynamic Blake builds between perception and action? The critical relationship with the dissection of modes of perception in the sections of the poem has shifted over time. Older studies in the footsteps of Northrop Frye or Harold Bloom are more likely to engage with the apparently metaphysical bent of Oothoon, Bromion, and Theotormon, yet their common focus on transcendent ‘free love’ often depends on the very dualisms that, as I hope to demonstrate, the central sections criticize, meaning they were misinterpreted or isolated from the rest of the poem.

The Daughters of Albion is a poem by William Blake that explores the themes of oppression, sexuality, and freedom. The poem tells the story of Oothoon, a woman who is trapped in a society that denies her agency and autonomy. Oothoon is in love with Theotormon, but he is unable to reciprocate her feelings because he is bound by societal norms and expectations. As a result, Oothoon is forced to turn to Bromion, a man who represents the oppressive forces that keep her from being free. The poem is a powerful critique of the patriarchal society that Blake lived in, and it is a call to action for women to fight for their rights and their freedom. The Character of Oothoon Oothoon is in love with Theotormon, who represents the chaste man, filled with a false sense of righteousness. Oothoon desires Theotormon but is suddenly, violently raped by Bromion. After Oothoon is raped neither Bromion nor Theotormon want anything to do with her. According to Gogmagog the story of the origin of the giants of Albion began 3,970 years after the world began. In a country now called Greece there ruled a very powerful king. This king was very noble and very righteous and the head of a strict patriarchal state and society. His queen was a very beautiful woman and they had a very happy marriage and were blessed with thirty beautiful daughters who were said to be very tall in some accounts. The giant confessed he did not know all their names but knew the eldest, tallest and most influential of these was named Albina. According to British medieval legend and myth, the island now known as Britain was once named Albion after an exiled queen named Albina. She was the eldest of a family of sisters who had been exiled from their homeland in Greece, though some versions of the story say Syria. How this came to be is an outlandish and in many ways disturbing story, found in the 14th century poem, Des Grantz Geanz (“Of the Great Giants”) which was popular in its time and probably best read as an allegorical work . British traditions of the Middle Ages were heavily influenced by the work of Geoffrey of Monmouth in his book Historia regum Britanniae ( The History of the Kings of Britain) written about 1136 that tells that when Brutus of Troy arrived on the island that been revealed to him in the Prophecy of Diana, he found it was just as she had described, being a green and fertile land populated by only a few giants. Brutus and his Trojans fought the giants until at last the biggest and strongest of them was left the only one left alive. His name was Gogmagog and Brutus had deliberately saved him to fight his own champion Corineus who thrilled at such challenges.

Geoffrey of Monmouth never said where the giants had come from or why the island was called Albion. This perplexed medieval scholars and a story evolved that attempted to explain this discrepancy. According to medieval tradition, before the fight began Brutus was said to have asked Gogmagog who he was and of the origin of his people. Gogmagog was said to have given the Trojan a fantastic tale revealing the origin of the giants and how the island had been named, “ Albion ”. Presented next is a retelling of the story Gogmagog allegedly told Brutus and has been sourced from several medieval and Anglo-Norman accounts and more recent works. Albina and her Sisters Interpretations and criticisms of William Blake’s “Visions of the Daughters of Albion” have varied greatly over the years. Some critics have praised the poem for its feminist themes and its critique of societal norms, while others have criticized it for its perceived misogyny and its confusing symbolism. One interpretation of the poem suggests that it is a commentary on the oppression of women in Blake’s time, with the daughters of Albion representing the oppressed female population. Others have argued that the poem is a critique of the sexual double standard and the objectification of women. Despite the varying interpretations and criticisms, “Visions of the Daughters of Albion” remains a powerful and thought-provoking work that continues to inspire discussion and debate. Symbolism and Imagery Barthes’ understanding of the body as a collection of idiosyncratic impulses helps explain how Oothoon’s argument is for particularity, not liberalism or what Thompson called “supercelestial visionary mystery” (46)Bromion represents the passionate man, filled with lustful fire. Oothoon is the representation of a woman in Blake's society, who had no charge over her own sexuality. Blake has the Daughters of Albion look to the West, to America, because he believed that there was a promise in America that would one day end all forms of discrimination. It was to be in America, that races would live in harmony, and women would be able to claim their own sexuality. At the same time, Blake recognizes that though America has freed itself from British rule, it continues to practice slavery.

Avienius' Ora Maritima, verses 111–112, i.e. eamque late gens Hiernorum colit; propinqua rursus insula Albionum patet. A legend exists in various forms that giants were either the original inhabitants, or the founders of the land named Albion. Oothoon is one of the central characters in William Blake’s “Visions of the Daughters of Albion.” She is a young woman who is trapped in a society that does not value her autonomy or her desires. Oothoon is a symbol of the oppression that women faced in Blake’s time, and her story is a powerful critique of the patriarchal structures that dominated society. Despite her struggles, Oothoon is a strong and resilient character who refuses to be silenced. She is a reminder that even in the face of adversity, women have the power to resist and fight for their rights. Thel and OothoonBecause Geoffrey of Monmouth's work was regarded as fact until the late 17th century, the story appears in most early histories of Britain. Wace, Layamon, Raphael Holinshed, William Camden and John Milton repeat the legend and it appears in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene. [34]