Ocean State Libraries

Shelley's poetry has gone in and out of fashion since his death in 1822--first considered immature, excessive, and even incoherent but later judged by critics to be among the great poems of the English language. At its best, his poetry is unparalleled for its range of metrical experimentation, its moral rigor, and its lush, sensual imagery. He has been staunchly championed by poets from Byron to Wordsworth to Yeats.