Shelley: A Marxist before Karl Marx

Abstract

This paper attempts to explore Shelley’s poetry as a reflection of Marxist notion of resistance, highlighting how his poetry replicates the concerns of the oppressed and the disquiets of the working class. Repositioning Shelley’s works considering Marxist poetics, the paper argues that both Shelley and Marx bring to the fore anxieties and sufferings of the marginalized common folks, presenting both familiar and diverse patterns of resistance against the hegemonies of their own times. Focusing on the Shelley’s select poetry, the paper posits Marxist perspective of struggle for the rights of the deprived working class.