Title: A Defence of Poetry by Percy Bysshe Shelley

Subject:

Date:

<aside> 💡 Key Points:

• Main Ideas
• Key words
• Questions that connect points
• Important points

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<aside> ✏️ Notes:

Main lecture notes

(pages 37-38)

• He was not Atheist but wanted to establish the right to debate the beliefs of Christianity.
• He wrote Romantic Poems and also wrote pivotal text of literary criticism.
• He is the greates devotee of Plato, embraced Plato’s beliefs and established himself as the voice of neo-Platonism.
• He embraced Plato’s concept of the Ideal Forms, the belief that all things around us are merely representations or shadows of the truth. Ideal world the one
• Blended concept of spiritual reality with his own understanding, asserting that poetry is by far the best way to gain access to Forms and to ultimate truth.
• Emphasizes the individual and the imagination.
• For him Plato’s Forms intertwine with the Romantic ideal of the imagination.
• Shelly redefines poetry as “the expression of the imagination”
• Poetry is not only an outstanding art form but also a teacher and a guide to Truth.
• Philosophy and history stem from Poetry, with occupying a superior place to these disciplines.
• Poets lead people toward Truth, truth of the spiritual nature of ultimate reality.
• Nothing is more sacred and perfect than poetry, and poet is the greatest because poet alone can see the future in the present. “poet participates in the eternal, the infinite, and the one”.

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<aside> 📎 Summary:

A brief summary and conclusion about the notes/lecture

Both Sir Philip Sidney and Percy Shelley wrote essays in defense of poetry, as a response to critics who questioned the value and purpose of poetry in their respective times. However, their arguments differ in several aspects, such as their views on the nature, function, and role of poetry and the poet. Here are some points of comparison and contrast between their essays:

• The nature of poetry: Sidney defines poetry as “an art of imitation” that uses “speaking pictures” to represent the universal and the ideal, while Shelley defines poetry as “the expression of the imagination” that uses “the rhythmical creation of beauty” to reveal the hidden and the infinite. Sidney follows the classical tradition of mimesis, while Shelley follows the romantic tradition of expressionism.
• The function of poetry: Sidney argues that poetry has three main functions: to teach, to delight, and to move. He claims that poetry is the most effective way of conveying moral and philosophical truths, as well as providing pleasure and emotional stimulation. Shelley argues that poetry has one supreme function: to inspire. He claims that poetry is the source of all knowledge, creativity, and progress, as well as the catalyst for social and political change.
• The role of the poet: Sidney portrays the poet as a maker, a teacher, and a leader. He asserts that the poet has the power and the skill to create new worlds, to instruct and persuade the audience, and to influence and guide the society. Shelley portrays the poet as a visionary, a prophet, and a legislator. He asserts that the poet has the insight and the inspiration to perceive the truth, to foresee the future, and to shape the values and the destiny of humanity.

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WEEK 13 Biographia Literaria by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (2004), Project Gutenberg.

Literary Criticism An Introduction to Theory and Practice (4th edition) by Charles E. Bressler: Chapter 2: Percy Bysshe Shelley (pages 37-38) A Defence of Poetry by Percy Bysshe Shelley

The Evolution of Poetry: From Sidney to Shelley

The evolution of poetry from the 16th to the 19th century marked a significant shift in the understanding of the nature, function, and role of poetry and the poet. This shift is exemplified in the works of Sir Philip Sidney and Percy Shelley, two influential figures in their respective times.

Sidney, writing in the 16th century, defined poetry as “an art of imitation” that uses “speaking pictures” to represent the universal and the ideal. He argued that poetry has three main functions: to teach, to delight, and to move. He claimed that poetry is the most effective way of conveying moral and philosophical truths, as well as providing pleasure and emotional stimulation. Sidney portrayed the poet as a maker, a teacher, and a leader, asserting that the poet has the power and the skill to create new worlds, to instruct and persuade the audience, and to influence and guide society.

On the other hand, Shelley, writing in the 19th century, defined poetry as “the expression of the imagination” that uses “the rhythmical creation of beauty” to reveal the hidden and the infinite. He argued that poetry has one supreme function: to inspire. He claimed that poetry is the source of all knowledge, creativity, and progress, as well as the catalyst for social and political change. Shelley portrayed the poet as a visionary, a prophet, and a legislator, asserting that the poet has the insight and the inspiration to perceive the truth, to foresee the future, and to shape the values and the destiny of humanity.

Shelley was not an atheist but wanted to establish the right to debate the beliefs of Christianity. He wrote Romantic poems and also wrote pivotal texts of literary criticism. He was the greatest devotee of Plato, embraced Plato’s beliefs, and established himself as the voice of neo-Platonism. He embraced Plato’s concept of the Ideal Forms, the belief that all things around us are merely representations or shadows of the truth. He blended this concept of spiritual reality with his own understanding, asserting that poetry is by far the best way to gain access to Forms and to ultimate truth.

For Shelley, Plato’s Forms intertwined with the Romantic ideal of the imagination. He redefined poetry as “the expression of the imagination”. Poetry is not only an outstanding art form but also a teacher and a guide to Truth. Philosophy and history stem from Poetry, with poetry occupying a superior place to these disciplines. Poets lead people toward Truth, the truth of the spiritual nature of ultimate reality. Nothing is more sacred and perfect than poetry, and the poet is the greatest because the poet alone can see the future in the present. “The poet participates in the eternal, the infinite, and the one”.

In conclusion, the evolution of poetry from Sidney to Shelley marked a significant shift in the understanding of the nature, function, and role of poetry and the poet. While Sidney followed the classical tradition of mimesis, Shelley followed the romantic tradition of expressionism. While Sidney portrayed the poet as a maker, a teacher, and a leader, Shelley portrayed the poet as a visionary, a prophet, and a legislator. This shift reflects the broader cultural and intellectual changes from the Renaissance to the Romantic period.