Study the Romantic movement in general. It arose during the later half of the 18th century and influenced political and scientific thought as well as creative expression. Romantic artists posited the experience of man in relation to the natural world and the supremacy of authentic emotions over more detached forms of experience. Romantic artists often stressed larger-than-life subjects, epic narratives, and the relation of mankind to the greater universe.
Read a biography of Blake to understand his milieu, his background, and his values. Blake embraced many revolutionary ideas from the Romantic period, such as the belief in free love and the advocacy of political revolution against the ruling class. He also claimed that he received visions from God throughout his life. Such ideas appeared in his career, his marriage, and other aspects of his life -- ideas that found expression in his poetry.
Read Blake's illuminated manuscripts, paying attention to the pictures he included with them. Blake was an engraver -- an art he practiced in addition to his devotion to the painting medium -- and he created a number of striking images to be included with some of his poetry. They are vital to fully understanding his works.
Study Blake's use of contrast in his poetry. Many of Blake's works embraced the seeming dichotomy of the world, and attempted to reconcile these opposites through verse. For example, many of his poems in "Songs of Innocence and Experience" are paired, such as "The Lamb" (which recounts the innocence of a little lamb) and "The Tyger" (which describes the ferocity of a monstrous beast). Read such works in tandem and consider the ways in which they respond to and interact with each other.
Analyze Blake's emphasis on the natural world -- its savagery and its beauty -- as well as the presence of supernatural elements such as demons and angels. In Blake's work, they are all filled with passion and energy, urging the reader to respond to their power. Similarly, Blake's work often entails themes of destruction and creation: tearing down old structures and replacing them with vibrant, new ideas. Many Romantic poets share these ideas, but in Blake they attain a special relevance.