Shelley, as George Bernard Shaw pointed out, was not only a poet but a thinker, and not only a thinker but a radical thinker: in politics, in religion, in morals. Convinced that we cannot know Shelley properly until we understand this aspect of his genius, the author has made the first large scale study of Shelley as a poet and a thinker whose ideas are still relevant today.
Using material derived from much fresh research, the author tells the dramatic story of Shelley’s early life. A critical evaluation of his poetry is accompanied by a psychological analysis of the poet-including a frank examination of his sex life. No one interested in poetry, politics or the adventures of an extraordinary young genius should miss this important book.