Shelley AO3 Flashcards
What did Mary say about his mental state?
he was in a state of ‘constant and poignant suffering which exhausted him’
Why did Shelley get expelled from Oxford Uni in 1811?
For refusing to answer questions concerning a pamphlet he had written called ‘The Necessity of Atheism’
When did Shelley publish ‘The Necessity of Atheism’
1811
What happened to Shelley’s relationship with his father after the result of his radical politics?
Shelley’s father was horrified by the probability of legal action for blasphemous libel.
He began only communicating with his son through a solicitor to guard his character.
Shelley requested that he be disinherited, the first step in the process of self exile that dominated the rest of his life
When did Shelley and Harriet Westbrook elope?
1811
How many children did Shelley and Harriet have together?
2
When did Harriet give birth to Ianthe (their first child)?
1813
Before the birth of Harriet’s second child…
Shelley abandoned her and fell in love with Mary Godwin
When did Shelley meet his hero, the radical political philosopher William Godwin?
1812
What was Shelley and Harriet’s relationship built upon?
The hope that Shelley could save her from committing suicide
When did Harriet Westbrook commit suicide?
1816
When did Shelley and Mary travel to Switzerland to meet Byron?
summer of 1816
Who engineered Shelley and Byron’s meeting?
Mary’s step sister, Claire Clairmont who had been Byron’s mistress in London and was pregnant with his child.
How did Shelley feel about Byron?
His contact with Byron led to a drive in his own poetic output. Their relationship was built on philosophical antagonism, opposing views of the world that influenced each other’s work
What was Shelley’s relationship with his father like?
He felt persecuted by his father’s hardheaded and practical minded father and his abuse may have first sparked the flame of protest in him.
