BOOK REVIEW: BEING SHELLEY: THE POET’S SEARCH FOR HIMSELF BY ANN WROE

“It is an adventure story of Shelley’s search to discover, in his words, ‘whence I came, and where I am, and why.’” – Ann Wroe, Being Shelley: The Poet’s Search for Himself 

BEING SHELLEY: The Poet’s Search for Himself (Pantheon Books, Jan 2008) by Ann Wroe provides an insightful and profound examination of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s complex life and literary contributions. The book skillfully weaves together the two facets of Shelley’s identity—the passionate poet and the intellectual individual grappling with his personal struggles, even understanding how his artistic temperament affected his personality.

It highlights the richness of his experiences, from certain tumultuous relationships to his radical ideas, while also delving into the beauty and intensity of his evocative poetry.

Wroe articulates the scope and methodology of her biography of Shelley with pronounced skill and a high level of exactitude. Her narrative voice showcases her profound understanding of this intriguing figure and the exquisite beauty of her language of interpretation.

Through her insightful prose, Wroe adeptly navigates the complexities of Shelley’s thoughts and feelings, shedding light on his unique mentality, rich intellectual life, and the depth of his emotional experiences. Her focused exploration of the many questions still surrounding Shelley’s life and work to this significantly enhanced my appreciation and comprehension of his character and legacy.

I studied Shelley in depth at university, so it’s exciting to see an exploration of him that feels fresh and contemporary yet remains scholastically perceptive. Wroe is not a dry essayist, which I’m sure many fear when approaching any analytical, exploratory text.

Although a significant timespan separates her from Shelley’s life, Wroe utilizes her phrasing and insights gracefully as if she has tapped into a shared consciousness, channelling his 19th-century thoughts and emotions with uncanny precision. Wroe crafts an insightfulness that resonates with the depth and passion one might expect from a kindred spirit, bridging the centuries separating their lives.

When looking at their letters, their work, their causes, Romanticism artists like Shelley (and Byron and Blake, etc.) may have had a deeper understanding of reality than we do today. One where “performative reality” was not so easily seen as fact or an immutable system.

They recognized corruption and saw how we were destroying the environment. They proposed alternatives and appreciated (and, yes, idealized) the natural world, seeing it as something fragile needing to be cherished and saved.

Ideas are powerful. Shelley imagined a world free of all cruelty and suffering, where everyone possessed personal liberty and lived perfectly in tune with their environment. Today’s standards would classify his words and ideas as idealistic, romantic, lofty, and the stuff of dreams. Perhaps some might even disparage them as “liberal socialism anti-capitalist.” For some, everything is black and white, with us or against us. But I digress…. Wroe’s biographical narrative paints a vivid portrait of the progressive Shelley, celebrating the interplay between his artistic vision and the complex yet flawed man behind the words.

Wroe notes how Shelley’s profound disdain for traditional religion and skepticism towards its doctrines, combined with the financial independence he enjoyed, provided him with a remarkable sense of liberation—an experience not unlike that of his friend and contemporary, Byron. Others of the time, sadly, like Blake, Wordsworth, Keats, and Polidori, despite their passion, genius or work output, either lived frugal, middle-class lives or ones of relative poverty and financial distress.

For Shelley (and Byron), this economic freedom opened the door to a rich tapestry of intellectual and spiritual exploration, enabling him to delve into subjects often shunned or deemed inappropriate by polite society. He fearlessly engaged with controversial themes such as atheism, the concept of free love, and radical political ideas, embracing a path that challenged societal norms and pushed the boundaries of conventional thought.

And yes, Wroe discusses Shelley’s relationship with Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, author of Frankenstein—later known as Mary Shelley, his wife. So there is an interesting exploration of Gothicism and that one famous summer with Lord Byron, Polidori, and Shelley himself, near Geneva, Switzerland.

Poetry is a unique form of artistic expression, a vibrant and profound reflection of the human soul translated into an elevated language for the masses. It captures the very essence of the poets, embodying their passions, dreams, and innermost longings. Through their verses, writers like Shelley, as Wroe shows in Being Shelley: The Poet’s Search for Himself, skillfully illuminate the world as they perceive it; they embark on a personal journey of self-discovery that resonates deeply with their readers, often guiding them toward their own shared ideals and truths.

Being Shelley: The Poet’s Search for Himself is available for purchase online at amazon.ca, amazon.com, and Indigo. Ann Wroe is an Editor of the UK’s The Economist.

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