Curators’
Statement
Introduction
AVisionary Symmetry: Northrop Frye & William Blake is an exhibition celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the publication of Fearful Symmetry: A Study of William Blake, published by the Princeton University Press in 1947. Northrop Frye’s seminal work of Blakean scholarship reinterpreted the work and the poetic and artistic legacy of William Blake (1757–1827) and revolutionized the field of Blake studies.
The artifacts, manuscripts, photographs, books, and ephemera that are part of the exhibition are derived from the library’s diverse special, archival, and rare book collections (including Northrop Frye fonds, Pelham Edgar fonds, E.J. Pratt fonds, and Canadiana). The materials the symmetry between Blake’s artistry, Frye’s scholarship and enduring legacy in the field of Blake studies.
In his 1942 diary, Frye confided that he considered himself “a Blakean, a visionary disciple.” The title and the overarching theme of the exhibition were inspired by the late Professor G.E. Bentley Jr.’s essay, “Blake on Frye and Frye on Blake,” a bio-bibliographical study exploring the multitude of connections between the two visionaries.
Credits
A Visionary Symmatry: Northrop Frye & William Blake is an exhibition curated and organized by Agatha Barc (Reader Services & Instruction Librarian), Bailey Chui (Archivist), and Lisa J. Sherlock (Victoria University Chief Librarian). The images, rare books, archival materials, and the artifacts in the exhibition were mounted by Lisa J. Sherlock, Bailey Chui, and Laura Fedynyszyn (Conservator).
The companion website, exhibition statement, labels, and the handlist were designed by Agatha Barc and Abe Lam (Web & Digitization Specialist), with the text of the handlist composed by Elsie Nisonen (Administrative Assistant to the Chief Librarian). The materials were digitized and photographed by Agatha Barc, Abe Lam, Janna Abbas, and Connie Zeng (Digitization Assistants). The typefaces used in the design are Josefin Sans (display text) and Linden Hill (body text). The exhibition statement and the labels are printed on recycled paper with smooth finish, weight 21.62 M, manufactured by Neenah, Inc.
Acknowledgements
The curators would like to recognize our colleagues, Elsie Nisonen (Administrative Assistant to the Chief Librarian), Roma Kail (Head, Readers Services), Douglas J. Fox (Systems Librarian), Carmen Socknat (Head, Bibliographic Services) for the support and resources they generously provided during the preparation of the exhibition.
We would also like to acknowledge Doctor Robert C. Brandeis, our Chief Librarian Emeritus, for his dedication in securing and enlarging the Northrop Frye fonds and the acquisition and enlargement of the Bentley–Blake collection over many years of his distinguished service to Victoria University. Collectively, these diverse and rich collections of archival materials, rare books, and artwork are excellent research resources in the study of William Blake and Romantic literature and poetry.
Doctor Brandeis’s exhibition catalogues, William Blake & His Contemporaries: An Exhibition Selected from the Bentley Collection at Victoria University and with Karen Mulhallen, Remember Me! Blake in Our Time: A Keepsake Book in Celebration of an Exhibition and Symposium on the Life and Art of William Blake (1757–1827) provided many valuable references and helped us to select appropriate materials for the current exhibition.
Northrop Frye at the the dedication of the E.J. Pratt Room of Contemporary Poetry on 15 October, 1964 in Victoria University Library. Looking at the exhibit are President A.B.B. Moore, Viola Whitney Pratt, Claire Pratt, Florence Pratt, Principal Frye with the Librarian Margaret Ray.