Product Description

Rebel, radical, exile, Shelley was the quintessential Romantic poet. Born in 1792, he lived passionately and died young, drowned in a boating accident in 1822. This collection demonstrates his breadth of style and subject, covering his great classical works and his most famous lyrical poems. Experience the drama of his poems and the power of his language. Includes poems in their entirety and unabridged excerpts.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #624198 in Books
• Published on: 1998-12-01
• Formats: Abridged, Audiobook, Unabridged
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 2
• Binding: Audio Cassette

From Library Journal
Listening to the Wordsworth tapes is enticing. It's hard to discern if this is a poetry reading with biographical notes or a biography with examples of the poetry. Either way, it works. And it is easier to listen to the poetry than to read it. The one problem is that employing six readers, plus a narrator, is confusing, especially since one of the stated aims of this program is to show the cohesiveness and progression in Wordsworth's work. Still, all readers (men and women) seem adeptly chosen. The same six readers tend to overdramatize Shelley's poems. The selections are for the most part fragmentary, skipping from long work to long work, with slighter, shorter poems used almost as fillers. As to biography, surely there must have been more to Shelley's life than love affairs and the deaths of children. By structuring everything around his romances and his friendships with fellow poets (especially Byron), this tape does little to enhance either the poetry or the biography. One hopes libraries will already have the now out-of-print 1985 program of Shelley's work narrated by Vincent Price. Meanwhile, purchase of William Wordsworth: Poems is recommended.?Rochelle Ratner, formerly with "Soho Weekly News," New York
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

The Brillance of Shelley Still Shines Bright
Percy Shelley is a great poet. He wrote with great beauty about love and nature. But he also wrote about political freedom and justice. This two tape collection of his poetry is highly recommmended for both new and long time readers alike. For new readers, there is a great selection to introduce one to some of the finest poetry ever written. Some are in their entirety. And there are excerpts from the longer works. The two passages from Epipsychidion are very well chosen. For the readers who are more familiar with Shelley, some great poems will be reintroduced. And some of the lesser known works may be discovered. This was the case for me for To William Shelley, (Fear not the tyrants will rule forever), written for his young son. I have been reading Shelley for about seven years now, and these tapes renewed my interest in his fascinating life and poetry. These tapes also contain backgroung information on his life and poems. And the readings are nicely done. An exceptional production that is definitely worth owning.