Percy Bysshe Shelley
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| - | '''Percy Bysshe Shelley''' ([[August 4]] [[1792]] – [[July 8]] [[1822]] was one of the major [[English Romanticism|English]] [[Romantic poets]] and is widely considered to be among the finest [[Lyric poetry|lyric poets]] in the [[English language]]. He is perhaps most famous for such [[anthology]] pieces as ''[[Ozymandias]]'', ''[[Ode to the West Wind]]'', ''[[To a Skylark]]'', and ''[[The Masque of Anarchy]]''. However, his major works are long visionary poems including ''[[Alastor, or The Spirit of Solitude|Alastor]]'', ''[[Adonaïs]]'', ''[[The Revolt of Islam]]'', ''[[Prometheus Unbound (Shelley)|Prometheus Unbound]]'' and the [[unfinished work|unfinished]] ''The Triumph of Life''. | + | '''Percy Bysshe Shelley''' (4 August 1792 - 8 July 1822) was one of the major [[Romantic literature in English|English]] [[romantic poetry|Romantic poets.]] American literary critic [[Harold Bloom]] describes him as "a superb craftsman, a lyric poet without rival, and surely one of the most advanced sceptical intellects ever to write a poem." A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achievements in poetry grew steadily following his death and he became an important influence on subsequent generations of poets including [[Robert Browning]], [[Algernon Charles Swinburne]], [[Thomas Hardy]], and [[W. B. Yeats]]. |
| - | Shelley's unconventional life and uncompromising [[idealism]], combined with his strong skeptical voice, made him an authoritative and much-denigrated figure during his life and afterward. He became an idol of the next two or three generations of poets, including the major [[Victorian era|Victorian]] and Pre-Raphaelite poets [[Robert Browning]], [[Alfred Lord Tennyson]], [[Dante Gabriel Rossetti]], [[Algernon Charles Swinburne]], as well as [[William Butler Yeats]] and poets in other languages such as [[Jan Kasprowicz]], [[Jibanananda Das]] and [[Subramanya Bharathy]]. | + | Shelley's critical reputation fluctuated in the 20th century, but in recent decades he has achieved increasing critical acclaim for the sweeping momentum of his poetic imagery, his mastery of genres and verse forms, and the complex interplay of sceptical, idealist, and materialist ideas in his work. Among his best-known works are "[[Ozymandias]]" (1818), "[[Ode to the West Wind]]" (1819), "[[To a Skylark]]" (1820), and the political ballad "[[The Masque of Anarchy|The Mask of Anarchy]]" (1819). His other major works include the verse drama ''[[The Cenci]]'' (1819) and long poems such as ''[[Alastor, or The Spirit of Solitude]]'' (1815), ''[[Julian and Maddalo]]'' (1819), ''[[Adonais]]'' (1821), ''[[Prometheus Unbound (Shelley)|Prometheus Unbound]]'' (1820)—widely considered his masterpiece—''[[Hellas (poem)|Hellas]]'' (1822), and his final, unfinished work, ''[[The Triumph of Life]]'' (1822). |
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| + | Shelley also wrote [[prose fiction]] and a quantity of essays on political, social, and philosophical issues. Much of this poetry and prose was not published in his lifetime, or only published in expurgated form, due to the risk of prosecution for political and religious libel. From the 1820s, his poems and political and ethical writings became popular in [[Owenism|Owenist]], [[Chartism|Chartist]], and radical political circles and later drew admirers as diverse as [[Karl Marx]], [[Mahatma Gandhi]], and [[George Bernard Shaw]]. | ||
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| + | Shelley's life was marked by family crises, ill health, and a backlash against his [[atheism]], political views and defiance of social conventions. He went into permanent self-exile in Italy in 1818, and over the next four years produced what Leader and O'Neill call "some of the finest poetry of the Romantic period". His second wife, [[Mary Shelley]], was the author of ''[[Frankenstein]]''. He died in a boating accident in 1822 at the age of 29. | ||
| - | He was admired by [[Karl Marx]], [[Henry Stephens Salt]], and [[Bertrand Russell]]. He was famous for his association with [[John Keats]] and [[Lord Byron]]. The novelist [[Mary Shelley]], author of ''[[Frankenstein]]'', was his second wife. | ||
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Revision as of 18:41, 24 October 2021
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"The only imaginary being, resembling in any degree Prometheus, is Satan; and Prometheus is, in my judgment, a more poetical character than Satan, because, in addition to courage, and majesty, and firm and patient opposition to omnipotent force, he is susceptible of being described as exempt from the taints of ambition, envy, revenge, and a desire for personal aggrandisement, which, in the hero of Paradise Lost, interfere with the interest."--Prometheus Unbound (1820) by Percy Bysshe Shelley |
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Percy Bysshe Shelley (4 August 1792 - 8 July 1822) was one of the major English Romantic poets. American literary critic Harold Bloom describes him as "a superb craftsman, a lyric poet without rival, and surely one of the most advanced sceptical intellects ever to write a poem." A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame during his lifetime, but recognition of his achievements in poetry grew steadily following his death and he became an important influence on subsequent generations of poets including Robert Browning, Algernon Charles Swinburne, Thomas Hardy, and W. B. Yeats.
Shelley's critical reputation fluctuated in the 20th century, but in recent decades he has achieved increasing critical acclaim for the sweeping momentum of his poetic imagery, his mastery of genres and verse forms, and the complex interplay of sceptical, idealist, and materialist ideas in his work. Among his best-known works are "Ozymandias" (1818), "Ode to the West Wind" (1819), "To a Skylark" (1820), and the political ballad "The Mask of Anarchy" (1819). His other major works include the verse drama The Cenci (1819) and long poems such as Alastor, or The Spirit of Solitude (1815), Julian and Maddalo (1819), Adonais (1821), Prometheus Unbound (1820)—widely considered his masterpiece—Hellas (1822), and his final, unfinished work, The Triumph of Life (1822).
Shelley also wrote prose fiction and a quantity of essays on political, social, and philosophical issues. Much of this poetry and prose was not published in his lifetime, or only published in expurgated form, due to the risk of prosecution for political and religious libel. From the 1820s, his poems and political and ethical writings became popular in Owenist, Chartist, and radical political circles and later drew admirers as diverse as Karl Marx, Mahatma Gandhi, and George Bernard Shaw.
Shelley's life was marked by family crises, ill health, and a backlash against his atheism, political views and defiance of social conventions. He went into permanent self-exile in Italy in 1818, and over the next four years produced what Leader and O'Neill call "some of the finest poetry of the Romantic period". His second wife, Mary Shelley, was the author of Frankenstein. He died in a boating accident in 1822 at the age of 29.
