Product Description

This major new edition, originally commissioned for the acclaimed Oxford Authors series under the general editorship of Frank Kermode, brings together a unique combination of Shelley's poetry and prose - the lyric poems, plays, longer poems, criticism, and essays - to give the essence of his work and thinking. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) was a Romantic poet of radical imaginings, living in an age of change. His tempestuous life and friendship with Byron, and his tragically early death, at times threatened to overwhelm his legacy as a poet, but today his standing as one of the foremost English authors is assured. This freshly edited anthology - the fullest one-volume selection in English - includes all but one of the longer poems, from Queen Mab onwards, in their entirety. Only Laon and Cythna is excerpted, in a generous selection. As well as works such asPrometheus Unbound, The Mask of Anarchy, and Adonais, the volume includes a wide range of Shelley's shorter poems and much of his major prose, including A Defence of Poetry and almost all of A Philosophical View of Reform. Shelley emerges from these pages as a passionate and eloquent opponent of tyranny and a champion of human possibility.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #308677 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 880 pages

Customer Reviews

Excellent commentary
I think this is the best edition if you want a well-annotated text of Shelley's major works. The notes provided in this edition are excellent - I find that because Shelley was writing in a time of political and personal turmoil, I would not have understood much of his poetry without the annotations accompanying the text. A lot of his works are very personal comments on politics, religion, love, and require the background reading provided if you want to fully understand his writing. This edition certainly helps you with the various contexts, providing clearly explained commentary.