Notes to the Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley

by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

An outstanding collection by Shelley – the Romantic poet who penned more than a thousand pages of poetry in his entire life. He lives today through these works which enjoy enduring popularity. You will also feel the presence of his wife Mary Shelley who not only put together this anthology but also added her own notes, thus adding further flavour to the book. Delightful! This EasyRead Large Edition has been optimized for readers who prefer a standard 16pt large type.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Classics

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1839

About the author

Mary Shelley (née Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, often known as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley) was an English novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, travel writer, and editor of the works of her husband, Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley. She was the daughter of the political philosopher William Godwin and the writer, philosopher, and feminist Mary Wollstonecraft.

Mary Shelley was taken seriously as a writer in her own lifetime, though reviewers often missed the political edge to her novels. After her death, however, she was chiefly remembered only as the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley and as the author of Frankenstein. It was not until 1989, when Emily Sunstein published her prizewinning biography Mary Shelley: Romance and Reality, that a full-length scholarly biography analyzing all of Shelley's letters, journals, and works within their historical context was published.

The well-meaning attempts of Mary Shelley's son and daughter-in-law to "Victorianise" her memory through the censoring of letters and biographical material contributed to a perception of Mary Shelley as a more conventional, less reformist figure than her works suggest. Her own timid omissions from Percy Shelley's works and her quiet avoidance of public controversy in the later years of her life added to this impression.

The eclipse of Mary Shelley's reputation as a novelist and biographer meant that, until the last thirty years, most of her works remained out of print, obstructing a larger view of her achievement. She was seen as a one-novel author, if that. In recent decades, however, the republication of almost all her writings has stimulated a new recognition of its value. Her voracious reading habits and intensive study, revealed in her journals and letters and reflected in her works, is now better appreciated. Shelley's recognition of herself as an author has also been recognized; after Percy's death, she wrote about her authorial ambitions: "I think that I can maintain myself, and there is something inspiriting in the idea". Scholars now consider Mary Shelley to be a major Romantic figure, significant for her literary achievement and her political voice as a woman and a liberal.

Reviews

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of Mary Shelley’s prefaces, commentaries, and biographical material for her massive book The Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley (1839). The volume was a labor of love for Mary on behalf of a husband who had died tragically in 1822 at the age of 29. While the analysis of his poems is insightful, her depiction of Percy himself was sanitized for Victorian audiences, and can be criticized for making the man sound like a secular saint:


[Image: Posthumous Portrait of Shelley Writing Prometheus Unbound (1845) by Joseph Severn ]

“...no man was ever more enthusiastically loved — more looked up to, as one superior to his fellows in intellectual endowments and moral worth, by the few who knew him well, and had sufficient nobleness of soul to appreciate his superiority. His excellence is now acknowledged; but, even while admitted, not duly appreciated.” (p. 4877).

The historical records indicate that Percy was far from saint-like in his personal life, mistreating even Mary in their short relationship. However, he created works of brilliance during his lifetime, and much of his wife’s praise was warranted. I admire the passion found in Notes and Mary’s depiction of Percy’s last living day is genuinely heartwrenching. This short book is well-written and worth reading.

My favorite passage:

We were not, as our wont had been, alone; friends had gathered round us. Nearly all are dead, and, when Memory recurs to the past, she wanders among tombs.” (p. 4882).

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[Image: Book Cover]

Citation:
Shelley, M. (2015). Notes to the complete poetical works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. In Complete Works of Mary Shelley (Kindle Edition, pp. 4800-4897). Delphi Classics. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00.... (Original works published 1839-1840)
Title: Notes to the Complete Poetical Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley
Author(s): Mary Shelley (1797-1851)
Year: 1839
Genre: Nonfiction - Biography, Literary Criticism
Date(s) read: 9/16/25
Book 187 in 2025
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