Percy Bysshe Shelley by Izzah Nazirah (193297)

Percy Bysshe Shelley. We can say that Shelley might be one of the most controversial poets in history of English Literature. Shelley was born as the eldest son in his family and was sure to inherit his grandfather’s estate. Besides, being the apparent heir to his family’s wealth, he also might have a seat in the parliament. The reason why I chose him to write about was to know more about the reason why he was controversial and what made him write about controversial things. I guess being bullied in school, coming from a rich family and was spoiled by all contributed a lot. Shelley went to Eton College at the age of 12. When he was in Eton College, he wrote poetry but his first publication was a Gothic novel, Zastrozzi (1810).

Then, he went to Oxford University but could not graduate as he was expelled as it made people think he was an atheist when he wrote a pamphlet with Thomas Jefferson Hogg called “The Necessity of Atheism”. His father could have saved him and Hogg from expelled but they refused to disavow the pamphlet and declare themselves as Christian. At the age of 19, Shelley eloped to Scotland with Harriet Westbrook. They got married and bore children but I guess they were not happy as Shelley did adultery with Mary Godwin. Mary Godwin was William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft’s daughter.

Shelley referred his relationship with Mary as free love. Percy Shelley believed that he was following Godwin’s principle. However, Godwin opposed the relationship and this forced Shelley to elope with Mary, accompanied by Jane Clairmont to Calais, Paris and then to Switzerland. After six weeks, they returned to England because of money problems. During the years after he eloped he had several publications, which are “A Refutation of Deism: in a Dialogue” and “Alastor: The Spirit of Solitude: and Other Poems”.

In 1816, Mary bore a son, named William. Then, they went on a trip to Italy by the initiative of Claire for Lord Byron. Sailing on Lake Geneva, Lord Byron suggested that they present a ghost story each. Mary’s controbution made her write the novel Frankenstein and it was published on 1818. The preface was also written by Shelley and made it one of the most popular works during the Romantic period. For Shelley, he wrote two of his finest poems during this trip: “Hymn to Intellectual Beauty” and “Mont Blanc”. Then, he wrote the “The Revolt of Islam”. He really went through a lot of ups and downs. Fighting for his beliefs. Percy Bysshe Shelley did not live long. He died when he was drowned in a sudden storm at the age of 29.

Comments

English Romantic Literature by Kashini Nair (193298)

What is English Romantic Literature? Romantic is characterised by the expression of love. Romantic also means a word which describes the feeling you have for someone you love. It could be anything in this world no boundaries for love i would say. But what is a romantic period ? Is it a time you were being only romantic? Thats what i thought at first when i was introduced to the headline ROMANTIC LITERATURE. Romantic era is an artistic, literary, musical, cultural and intellectual movement originating in Europe, toward the end of the 18th century. In most areas it was at its peak approximately 1800–1850. Romanticism was characterized by its emphasis on emotion and individualism as well as glorification of all the past and nature, preferring the medieval rather than the classical. English Romantic Literature emphasis on the individual and democracy. Besides it also contemplates nature. Its a celebration of nature and its beauty.As what i understood, contemplate natures means t...

The Cavalier Poets by Khalil Norsham (194807)

The Cavalier Poets During the Post-Renaissance period, there were three separate eras, which were the Caroline Era, the Restoration Period and also the Augustan Age. I found the Caroline Era really interesting, especially when it comes to a group of poets who called themselves the Cavalier Poets. So how did they got their name? What about the characteristics of these poets? And who are the Cavalier Poets? The Cavalier Poets are actually a group of poets who supported King Charles I who was an expert and really love fine arts. They are members of aristrocracy and often linked to Royalist as their main purpose in their poetry was to glorify the king. The Cavalier Poets were totally different from the traditional poet who loves to talk about philosophy and religion. They love to express more on celebratory things or expressing their joy. To them, enjoying life was far more important rather than following moral codes. Most of their poems hold an attitude of "carpe diem" which ...

Dark Romanticism by Nurdiyanah Fauzi (193316)

Dark Romanticism Gothic romantic literature started from a long way which is during the 18th to 19th century in England and what is it about? It revolves around supernatural, horror and set against dark backgrounds. Few characteristics of Gothic romantic literature are the presence of ghosts, vampire and spirits. Some people may call it as dark romanticism or gothic romantic and it is the subgenre of Romanticism. However, dark romanticism is the opposite of Romanticism because of its emphasis on human weakness and wrongdoings, while the Romanticism focuses on the goodness. Originally, the Romantic idea is adoring the nature and its imagery, however, Gothic literature’s writer has given the nature the power of destruction. One of the famous work is Frankenstein by Mary Shelly which shows the severe reality of nature. Moreover, Gothic romantic literature is against the concept of realism because it shows and explains how the characters would react to the unreal situation. F...

Discussions of English Literature's History

Search This Blog