Ask The Puma Research Guides: The Sick Rose

The Sick Rose

The poem “The Sick Rose” by William Blake (1757-1787) is from his collection Songs of Innocence and of Experience. A short poem of thirty-four words presented in two four-line stanzas, “The Sick Rose” has generated much interest and a variety of interpretations, some of which refer to the consequences of hypocrisy in one’s attitude toward earthly or sexual love.

LINCCWeb online catalog – Search Terms

• Blake, William
• Blake, William, 1757 – 1827 --  Criticism and Interpretation

Call Numbers for Browsing the Shelves

• PN4141 to PN4144

Circulating Books – A Selected List

•  Johnson, Mary Lynn and John E. Grant (eds.). Blake’s Poetry and Designs. 2008.

                         Call Number:  PR4141 .5 .J64 2008

• Phillips, Michael. Willam Blake: The Creation of the Songs: From Manuscript to Illuminated Printing. 2000.

                         Call Number: PR4144 .S63 P45 2000.

• Blake, William. Songs of Innocence and Experience. 1970.

                         Call Number:  PR4144 .S6 1970

• Blake, William. Complete Writings. *(Contains two versions) 1972.

                         Call Number:  PR4142 .K42 1972

• Blake, William. Blake’s Illuminated Books. 1998.

                         Call Number:  PR4142 .B531998

o        Vol. 2, plate 39, pp. 183-184

Reference Materials

•  Critical Survey of Poetry –  Call Number: REF PN1021 .C7 2003

o        Vol. 8, pp. 4347-4356

• Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism – Call Number:  REF PN761 N5

o       Vol. 37, pp. 16, 26,42-43, 50, 57, 82, 84-87,92, 96-97

• Poetry Criticism – Call Number: REF PN1010 .P6

o         Vol. 12, pg. 7

o        Vol. 63, pp. 16, 24-26, 68, 70, 107, 120

Research Databases

To access Valencia’s research databases, open your Atlas account, select ‘Search the Library’, then select ‘Databases A-Z’.

• Grangers World Poetry
• JSTOR
•  Lit Finder
• Literary Reference Center Plus
• Literature Criticism Online
• Literature Resources from Gale
• Poetry & Short Story Reference Center (EBSCO) 

This Research Guide is designed to help users find information on a particular topic within the Valencia College East Campus Library.  This is by no means a comprehensive list of resources and other resources may be available on this topic.  Please check LINCCWeb, Valencia East’s online catalog, to verify the availability of circulating books within the library.  Feel free to ask a librarian for help if you need further assistance.