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This study traces affinities between the late prophetic poems of William Blake and the work of the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. Both feature concepts (the Spectre fought by Blake's poet-prophet Los, and Kierkegaard's idea of "dread") embodying a spirit of philosophical negation, skepticism, and dialectic which the writers sought to resist. Lorraine Clark uses Kierkegaard's philosophy to illuminate Blake's prophecies, showing that both offer the basis for a profound critique of romanticism, while themselves partaking of some of the ideals and tensions central to our understanding of the romantic movement.