Studying William Blake means studying the event of history, the way history merges with and emerges within theology, politics and philosophy. William Blake’s poetry has had a precarious relationship with history; his work resonates from very specific historical concerns and yet also seems to struggle against being confined to any formal historical scheme. Blake’s poetry is, to quote Anotonio Negri’s characterization of Spinoza’s thought, “monsterous” (4). It has an “internal leap that dislocates its significance onto diverse horizons” (5). The monstrosity of Blake’s poetry, its struggle to displace history, even as it is quite obviously part of history, makes reading and studying Blake a singularly uncanny experience. To read Blake, one must constantly find new ways to apply Blake, to renew Blake, to dislocate Blake onto new horizons that can be applicable to contemporary, and ever-changing, concerns.