This provocative study assesses at length and in detail the
validity and significance of the claim, first made in 1863, that
Shelley suffered throughout his life from a youthful contraction of
venereal disease. The authors have undertaken vigourous research
and consulted little-known medical works of the period 1780 1830
(including a number by Shelley's own doctors), and have interwoven
their examination with a description of early nineteenth-century
attitudes towards venereal disease (which parallel in some respects
present-day fears raised by the threat of AIDS). The book is not,
however, simply an investigation of a biographical mystery. The
authors' cardinal aim is to reveal the importance of the meaning of
disease and healing in Shelley's poetry. They document through
specific and concrete textual analysis the extent to which the
image of venereal plague functions for Shelley as a metaphor of
evil, and they show how his schoolboy fascination with the panacea
and his fugitive ambition to be a doctor were transmitted into a
passionate belief in the power of poetry to act as society's
medicine.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
