Following the near-disappearance of Orc after The Four Zoas, Blake’s mythological structure is left without one of its central characters. How then, can Orc, be the centre of Blake’s myth? The answer, of course, is that he cannot. Annise Rogers is not the first to consider this point. Christopher Z. Hobson shows how this diminishment of Orc, together with a lack of real evidence connecting the character with Urizen, causes Northrop Frye’s idea of ‘the Orc Cycle’ to fall apart. There is, therefore, no cycle at all, and Blake scholars have been blinded by Frye’s structure.

In this talk, Annise will explore the concept that if we consider Urizen, and not Orc, as the centre of this cycle, we can examine how one of Blake’s oldest characters continues to influence his work right up until his death.

Annise Rogers is an Early Career Researcher whose doctoral thesis explored Vala, or The Four Zoas in connection with biblical, poetical forms, as well as re-examining the role and importance of Urizen. She has written for VALA and Blake Illustrated Quarterly, and has co-authored a chapter (with Jason Whitaker) entitled ‘”Be my Enemy for Friendships sake”: Hayley and Blake’s biographers’ in the upcoming book William Hayley: A Biographer’s Influence on Long Eighteenth-Century Life Writing Networks.