Shelley's Poetry: The Divided Self [Hardcover]

Shelley's detractors since Hazlitt have noticed a division in the 'self' of his poems. A central reasoning core fears the passions surrounding it and distrusts the language expressing it. A few of his admirers offer an alternative view of the poems as symbolical pointers to a non-linguistic reality transcending passion; most miss the point, justifying their admiration by referring to the poems' systems of thought. This reading of Shelley's major poems and critical prose finds the adverse case more convincing.Preface - The Case of Shelley - Shelley's Views of Poetry - Shelley's Poetry, 1811-17 - Shelley's Poetry, 1818-20 - Shelley's Poetry, 1818-20 (continued) - Shelley's Poetry, 1821-22 - Conclusion: The Divided Self - Notes - Bibliography - IndexSIMON HAINES