Shelley and His Circle, 1773-1822

An essential collection of writings penned by the most celebrated figures of the Romantic era, presented in an authoritative two-volume set.Volumes I and II of Shelley and His Circle introduce readers to the young Shelley and his most important relationships. Drawing together biographies, manuscripts, and letters, these volumes immerse readers in the connected worlds of William Godwin, Mary Wollstonecraft, Thomas Love Peacock, Leigh Hunt, Thomas Jefferson Hogg, and more.The first volume opens at the turn of the nineteenth century with writings by elder members of Shelley’s circle, including Godwin and Wollstonecraft—the poet's future in-laws. Among the featured materials are numerous previously unpublished writings, including over sixty works by Godwin and a selection of Wollstonecraft’s letters that engage with such radical ideas as anarchism and feminism.Also covered are Shelley’s own school days at Eton and Oxford, as well as his elopement with Harriet Westbrook in 1811. Shelley’s many letters to his friend and confidant, Thomas Jefferson Hogg, capture his emotional and intellectual coming of age. They are complimented by select early poetic compositions and a full transcription of The Diary of Harriet Grove, written by Shelley’s boyhood sweetheart. Setting the stage for the entire Shelley and His Circle collection, the materials gathered here offer a striking portrait of the teenage poet and an intimate glimpse into his formative relationships.