UTOPIAN IMAGES IN THE POETRY OF PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the use of utopian images in the poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley with the aim of defining a particular trend of thought that is typically Shelleyan. Shelley spent all his life attempting to establish a world of his own, a Shelleyan utopia with highly idealistic and mostly impractical views concerning the social context in all its aspects, religious, political and social. He had a particular philosophy which he wanted to spread as well as enact to create a Shelleyan world. In this introduction I would like to define the word philosophy by which I mean Shelley's ideas and thoughts that dominated his prose and poetry, also the picture he had of the world and of how it should be like. Our first concern is to shed light on Shelley's philosophical thought and to show how major critics and writers responded to it and then to show how this philosophy is embodied in what I call Shelley's utopian images. Critics varied in their estimation of Shelley's philosophical thought and in some cases these views influenced the critics and determined the way they approached Shelley's poetry. Defenders are many and so are attackers and it is useful now to show how Shelley's philosophy was subjected to two almost contradictory approaches. Leigh Hunt, one of the intimates of Shelley and one of his defenders says:

Mr. Shelley is of opinion with many others that the world is a very beautiful one externally; but wants a good deal of mending with respect to its mind and habits; and for this purpose he would quash as many cold and selfish passions as