During his life, Shelley remained an elusive personality not only for his family and friends but for his critics too. Till he was alive he was known for his so called atheism. He had gained notoriety as an im- moral person and as a blackguard to be avoided. It was during the Chartist Movement that this 'mad', 'bad', 'sad' Shelley was changed into a hero. His Queen Mab and The Mask of Anarchy became a Bible for the Chartists. Karl Marx considered Shelley a precursor of socialism and George Bernard Shaw considered him a poet of ideas. It was only in 1886 with the foundation of the Shelley Society that his reputation as a poet was established. Here also the emphasis was on his lyric poetry. In the 20th century, after the First World War, T.S. Eliot and F.R. Leavis rejected Shelley's imaginative quality which was not suited for the ground realities of the post war Europe. It was W.B. Yeats' essay on The Philosophy of Shelley's Poetry that changed the trend of Shelleyan criticism. His Platonism, symbolism and Myth occupied the minds of the critics.
Shelley had a wide understanding of many spheres of knowledge. His enthusiasm for chemistry, astronomy, technology, politics, science, philosophy, religion and Platonism is well known. He is a man of his period influenced by the contemporary thought in the field of literature, politics, science and philosophy. His is the age that witnessed the greatest changes--the French Revolution, the rise and fall of Napolean, movements for Independence in Spain, Italy and Greece and in England pressures for reforms. Shelley was a keen observer of politics and social affairs and as an active participant in the campaign for reform and political justice, he visited Ireland. He was also a voracious reader and had read the important philosophers of his age. Thus we can call him a man of his time who had a sincere concern for justice and who possessed remarkable intellectual powers with which he expressed these things in his writings.
Yet there stands before us another Shelley who took refuge from this world, in another world of imagination. He was often in a dream land of islands and caves away from the sea of life and agony. The book portrays this other side of Shelley from the intellectual philosophers of his times to the imaginative poet of timeless eternity.
The Introduction is divided into different parts. It begins with a brief biographical account of the poet's life and discusses the different influences on him and on his poetry. It also discusses the major poetic works and concludes with the various critical views on Shelley.
A. Moorings
The famous line from Browning's lyric, "Ah did you once see Shelley plain?" can be used as a starting point for an insight into Shelley's true character and work. But it is not an easy task to see him plain. Even for his family and friends, he remained an enigma. He met with a lack of understanding from his intimates as well as from the critics and general public. Shelley is one of the most intellectual and philosophical of The Romantic poets.
He was born at Field Place, near Horsham in the country of Sussex on Saturday, the 4th of August, 1792. His father was Timothy Shelley and mother Elizabeth. The poet had four sisters-Elizabeth, Mary, Hellen and Margaret and only one brother John. As a child, Shelley was beautiful and had an enchanting nature. As a boy, he was "gentle, affectionate, intelligent, amiable, ever loving and universally beloved."
His grandfather, Bysshe Shelley, built a big fortune through his marriages. He became Baronet in 1806 and after his death in 1815. his son Timothy succeeded to the title. Shelley's relation with his father was not smooth. At Eton, he was well known for cursing his father in front of his friends. Timothy loved his son but his views on life and position were rigid.
At the age of six, Shelley was sent to learn Latin at Warnham from a curate named Evan Edwards. His father maintained a strict discipline as he wanted Shelley to follow his footsteps not only as a politician, but also as a landowner and agriculturist. In a letter, May7 1809 Shelley wrote: "I am independent, being the heir of a gentleman of large fortune in the country of Sussex and prosecuting my studies as an Ophidian at Eton".
In 1802, at the age of ten, Shelley was sent to Sion House at Brantford, which was attended by rich boys. His cousin Medwin, who was with him, describes Shelley as "a strange and unsocial being. a day dreamer hopeless at games and dancing." Here, Shelley read the popular Gothic romances of the day, especially of Ann Radcliff and Charlotte Dacre. It was here that Shelley's first interest in science was seen through his interest in the lectures of Adam Walker.
Shelley entered Eton in the autumn of 1804 and left it in the summer of 1810. The head master for the first three years was Joseph Goodall and for the last two terms John Keat. At Eton, his school fellows would call his name and play practical jokes on him, such as knocking his books from under his arms, pulling and tearing his clothes, and so on. He was given the title of 'Mad Shelley' and 'Shelley the Atheist'. Shelley began to gain fame as a young writer in the final years at Eton.
At this time, Shelley also had his first love affair with his cousin Harriet Grove. Due to family pressure they broke up but the relation- ship was immature and resulted in no deep emotional involvement.
The years at Sion House and Eton were emotionally formative years in Shelley's life. Carl Grabo believed that during these years: "Shelley was starved for love and kindly understanding. He found these in neither his father nor his mother....very early he became a black sheep and an outcast....Early and tragically he learned to do without the moral support of others, to become independent in mind and spirit. "
From Eton, Shelley went to Oxford. By this time he was well known as a classical scholar. Here, he met Thomas Jefferson Hogg who became a close friend and later wrote his biography. He came to Oxford in April, 1810 with his father.
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