THIS noble attempt at revitasing Shelley among the 'left' is he result of Paul Foot's preoccupation with the poet for the last few yodis Foot admits to his feelings cowards the subject in his inoduction, and the impression that he is totally immersed in he topic pervades the whole of Red Shelley.
In direct contradiction to all that our enlightened eductional establishments would have us believe, Conclus that Shelley was far from being in romantic. in fact he was evolutionary, pre-socialist (although quick ake the distinction between what he describes as "levellism' and socialism). The distinction → Iccessal y.
Shelley lived through almost the exact period covered a EP Thompson's marvellous English Working Class, the era of Revolution wich brougat capitalsin tho Atheist He could therefore, have been a scientific socialist and his life-long contradictory views on reform versus revolution reflect this historical contest.
Nevertheless, Foot's evidence to refute the standard view calist is strong, based as it is Lic puce s owll work Foot is at pains to show that Shelley was an which crime he from Oxford), a republican and a feminist. In all three he was consistent - to the extent that all. most characters are women atheists who fought church, state and monarch.
He also attempts to explain Shelley's contradictory on reform and revolution. It is here, perhaps, that we find the book's greatest failing sonal esteem for Shelley, Foot tries to prove that there was no real contradiction.
Lacking Shelley either for the sake of being published. or was so ostracised by society that a tendency towards reformism was bound to occur. This is a very simplistic explanation and is left something is lacking.
The book is best when Foot is either using Shelley's own words to confound those who would claim him as a 'romantic', or, as in the last section, he looking the Shelley's work on the șocialis movement since his death Red Shelley is probably the best book on Shelley published. • For anvone who wishes to gain some stallul the DOwer literature in building towards: socialism this is essential atheist (for was expelled revolutionary This Paul kow-towed feeling that effect of reading foot yet As put it: poetry can inspire (hundreds of • of thousands of and talk with a new energy: a confidence and a 'If that Shelley people to write Sidgwick
'WE have been tortured for