Shelley and Class

Abstract

There are three main problems in locating and explicating Shelley’s political identity. First, there is the extent to which the expression of his views was influenced by tactical considerations which entailed some compromising of his real opinions. Second, there is the question of how far elements of his background and upbringing continued to coexist uneasily with his consciously worked-out political philosophy. Third, there is the equivocal political situation of the intellectual, a problematic issue for literary scholars as much as for their subject of study.