The Longer Poems and Verse Plays of Percy Bysshe Shelley: A Critical Study

Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the greatest English Romantic poets, and is regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language, and one of the most influential. His poetry exudes idealism, humanitarian zeal and democratic attitude to life. Being an iconoclast and innovator, he contributed a new quality to English literature—a quality of freedom and spiritual sublimity. Though, the things, which he wrote in his times, were then termed ‘abnormal’ and ‘Utopian’, they are found most relevant today. He was far ahead of his times. All his major poems and plays are being studied with a new vigour in the Europe, the USA and Canada. In India, too, he is held in high esteem.
This book has been written with the purpose to help U.G. and P.G. students in comprehending the poetry and philosophy of Shelley and most importantly its relevance in modern times. It is an effort to present the ideas and thoughts of Shelley in an easy and understandable way. It also endeavours to help students in developing a critical understanding of a poetry text.
The book covers only nine longer poems and verse plays of Shelley—Queen Mab, Julian and Maddalo, The Revolt of Islam, Epipsychidion, Adonais, Prometheus Unbound, The Cenci, Hellas, and The Triumph of Life. It does not include shorter poems and lyrics of Shelley.