Percy Bysshe Shelley: Poet and Revolutionary

In this latest book in the "Revolutionary Lives" series, which describes itself as "sympathetic but not sycophantic" to those chronicled, Mulhallen (The Theatre of Shelley) presents a focused look at the political and ideological leanings of Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822). Even those familiar with 19th-century literature are more likely to recognize Shelley as a prominent Romantic poet than as a social reformer. This compact but informative account brings a unique perspective to Shelley scholarship. The narrative is less successful when it devolves into heated and too-lengthy defenses of Shelley from often inconsequential claims made over the last 200 years that the author disagrees with, such as whether he played girlish games with his sisters. When Mulhallen strays into these sometimes specious arguments, she veers uncomfortably close to the sycophancy declaimed in the series' description. However, the author makes a compelling—if concise—case for Shelley's international influence on political revolutions and his continued relevance today.