ABSTRACT
From the beginning Aphorisms on Man is reviewed in its own right, but in June 1789 Christopher Moody was arguing that the volume should only be read in conjunction with Essays on Physiognomy. Aphorisms on Man is a good example of self-improvement being taught through the principle of self-awareness. Reading Aphorisms on Man is a psychological experience. An aphoristic text is ideally suited to self-exploration because it encapsulates complex ideas which need to be unravelled by the reader. The most important thing to know about the self is formulated at the beginning of Aphorisms on Man. By introducing the notion of 'capaciousness', William Blake shifts emphasis away from the idea of 'influx' to the physical nature of the body itself; he ponders the image of God-infused man and makes a connection between the Emanuel Swedenborg's and Johann Caspar Lavater's texts.
