This anthology brings together contemporary responses to P.B. Shelley whose critical fortunes have been on the upswing in recent times and whose birth bicentenary was celebrated in 1992. It consists of essays, commissioned or published mostly in the 1980s. which exemplify a variety of critical approaches including feminism, phenomenology, hermeneutics and stylistic, as well as comparative, futuristic and inter-textual analyses. They offer fresh evaluations of the major aspects of Shelley- the vision-ary, the sceptic, the lyricist, the futurist, the ardent supporter of androgyny and free love, and of course the craftsman.
The book carries, in equal measure, close studies of individual texts representing Shelley's major poetry, prose, and drama. Among the works that receive detailed attention are Alastor, The Revolt of Islam, Prometheus Unbound, Adonais, Ode to the West Wind and Shelley's only tragedy The Cenci. The editor's essay provides a valuable update of Shelley criticism, and charts out the direction in which this criticism has been moving. The wide range of material made available in this volume, it is hoped, shall stimulate and benefit both the Shelley scholar and the students of colleges and universities.