'Hymn to Intellectual Beauty'に示された理想美とLaon and Cythnaにおける革命の意義との関係

概要

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In 1817, Percy Bysshe Shelley composed his longest narrative poem Laon and Cythna, containing altogether 4,818 lines. The poem is thought to present an ideal revolution as an alternative to the French Revolution, but its complicated plot and lengthy descriptions make it difficult to understand the true meaning of Shelley's revolution. Although the poem 'Hymn to the Intellectual Beauty', composed in 1816, is written in a different style from that of Laon and Cythna, the concept of ideal beauty presented in 'Hymn' may serve to elucidate the nature of the revolution conducted by the two main characters in Laon and Cythna. 'Hymn' provides a clue to understanding Laon and Cythna, in which Shelley tried to persuade his readers to reevaluate their contemporary society and to remind them of the importance of aesthetic ideals by presenting a situation from which ideal beauty was absent. It seems that Shelley believes that ideal revolution is only possible when people have the beauty of true virtue. In this aspect, Laon and Cythna may be a poem that expresses Shelley's hope for the future rather than his disappointment at the contemporary situation in Europe.
2010-03-31