Shelley: The Pursuit (187 page)

1814–1818:
meets and falls in love with Mary Godwin,
230–2
; and William Godwin’s opposition,
232–4
; tells Harriet of his love for Mary,
233–4
; elopes with Mary and Claire,
234
,
235
; and Mrs Godwin follows them to Calais,
235–6
; and journey through France to Switzerland,
236–43
; his relationship with Claire Clairmont,
241
,
242
,
247–8
,
257–61
,
263–5
,
269–70
,
275
,
277
; writes
The Assassins
,
243–7
; returns to London,
247–9
; and financial difficulties,
250
,
251
,
252
,
253–4
; seeks reconciliation with Harriet,
250–3
; and final break,
253–6
; moves to Church Terrace,
254
; Peacock renews friendship with,
254–5
; writes to Hogg about Mary,
256–7
; and horror sessions with Claire,
257–61
; hides from bailiffs,
265–6
; and strain of separation from Mary,
266
,
267–8
; negotiates loan of money,
266–7
,
269
; moves to Nelson Square,
269
; his personal responsibilities,
270–1
; Hogg’s regular visits,
271
,
277
; reviews
Prince Alexy Haimatoff
,
271–2
; birth of son Charles to Harriet,
273–4
; his attitude to Wordsworth,
274–5
; horror sessions revived,
275
; death of grandfather,
275–6
; and settlement of will,
276
,
277
,
281
,
283–5
,
313
,
314–15
,
319
,
320
; moves to Hans Place,
276
; destruction of journal pages,
276–7
; and experimental ‘shared household’,
277–9
; and talks with Cannon,
279–80
; birth of baby girl to Mary,
280
; moves to Pimlico,
280–1
; and death of baby,
281
; discusses legal arrangements with Harriet,
281
; takes Mary on Berkshire holiday,
281–2
; moves to Bloomsbury,
282
; and Claire leaves,
282–3
; takes Mary to Torquay,
285
,
286
; his illness,
286
,
290
; goes house-hunting,
286–7
; his scheme to enter Church,
287–8
; Mary joins him at Bishopsgate,
290
; and river expedition,
291–4
,
296
; and creative work,
294–9
; and writes
Alastor
,
300–6
; his financial responsibilities,
307
; and indifference to Harriet’s children,
307
;
Alastor
published,
307–11
; birth of son William,
310–11
; continues financial aid to Godwin but fails to regain his favour,
311–15
; takes lodgings in Norfolk St,
314
,
315
; involved in Claire’s campaign to win Byron,
317
,
320
; writes to Godwin from Dover,
320–2
; goes to Geneva with Mary and Claire,
322–4
; takes rooms at the Hotel d’Angleterre,
323
; and Byron’s arrival,
324–5
; and 1st meeting and friendship with Byron,
325–7
,
337–8
; moves to Montalègre,
327
; Claire’s pregnancy and,
327
& n.; his hallucinations in Villa Diodati,
328–30
; and tour of lake,
330
,
334–8
; Mary’s
Frankenstein
and,
331–4
,
344
; visits Chamounix valley,
339–43
; and his scandalous entries in hotel registers,
342
,
404
; offers to look after Claire during pregnancy,
343
; launches fire balloon,
344
; and discusses ghosts with M. G. Lewis,
344
; returns to England,
344–6
; and settles in Bath,
346
,
347–8
; his Will,
346 n.
; effect of Fanny’s suicide on,
347–8
; renewed interest in political reform,
349–50
,
363
; and friendship with Leigh Hunt,
350–2
; Harriet’s suicide,
352–9
; and marries Mary,
355
; birth of Claire’s daughter Allegra,
356
; seeks custody of Harriet’s children,
356–7
,
359
,
363
; stays with Hunts and meets Hampstead set,
359–63
; stays with Peacock in Marlow,
363–4
; writes
A Proposal for Putting Reform to the Vote
,
364–6
; at Marlow (1817),
367–408
: leases Albion House,
367
; his letter to Byron about Claire,
369–70
; fears prosecution of
Queen Mab
,
369
& n.; writes
Laon and Cythna
,
370
,
377
; and ‘To Constantia Singing’,
371–2
; recurrence of illness,
372–3
,
376
,
377
,
378
,
391–2
; invites Polly Rose to visit Albion House,
373
; and games and terror treatment,
372–3
; Peacock bases
Nightmare Abbey
on Shelley household,
374–6
; birth of daughter Clara,
377
; stays with Hunt in London,
377
; and financial problems,
377
,
378
,
379
; decides to sell Albion House,
377–8
; and Mary’s nagging,
378–9
; drafts
Rosalind and Helen
,
379–80
; and Preface to
Laon and Cythna
completed,
380–3
; his political pamphlet
on the Death of Princess Charlotte
,
384–8
; distributes Xmas blankets in Marlow,
388
,
389
,
405
; rebuffed by Baxter,
388–9
;
Laon and Cythna
republished as
The Revolt of Islam
,
389–405
; takes laudanum,
392
; worried about Allegra,
405–6
; writes ‘Prince Athanase’,
406–7
; sells Albion House,
407
; and moves back to London,
407–12
; and round of social pleasures,
408–9
,
410
; and sonnet competition at Hunts,
410
; writes sonnet ‘Ozymandias’,
410–11
; deteriorating relations between Godwin and,
411–12
; and christening of William, Clara and Allegra,
412
; leaves England for Italy,
412–13

Italy,
181
8–1822:
journey out,
414–16
; Elise’s future role in his life,
415–16
; arrival in Milan,
416–17
; and pistol incident at Lake Como,
417–18
,
472
,
481
; corresponds with Byron about collection of Allegra,
418–20
,
421
; and Elise accompanies Allegra to Venice,
421–2
; journey to Livorno,
421–2
; and meets Gisbornes,
423–4
; rents Casa Bertini in Bagni di Lucca,
424
; and expatriate life in Livorno,
424
; drafts ‘Tasso’ scenes,
425
; and reads ‘Cenci Manuscript’,
425–6
; at Casa Bertini,
426–30
; his love for waters of Italy,
427
,
460
; and landscapes and sky,
427–8
,
443
; goes riding to Lucca,
429–30
; his translation of Plato’s
Symposium
,
430–8
; goes to Venice with Claire,
439–41
; and meets Byron again,
441–2
; invited to stay at Este,
442–4
; begins work on
Prometheus Unbound
,
444
; illness and death of Clara,
444–7
; his views on Venice,
448–9
; and writes ‘Julian and Maddalo’,
449–57
; journeys south,
458–60
; drafts ‘The Colosseum’ in Rome,
460–1
; takes lodgings at 250 Riviera di Chiaia in Naples,
461–2
; his illness,
462
,
463
,
464
& n.; and sightseeing,
462–3
,
477
; his period of crisis,
463–5
,
474–5
; Elena affair,
465–74
,
481–4
; renewed interest in politics,
475–6
; and writes ‘Lines Written During Castlereagh Administration’,
476–7
; and letter to Peacock on Neapolitan tombs,
477–8
; his expedition to Paestum,
478–9
; and leaves Naples,
479–80
; in Rome (1819),
485–518
: takes rooms at Palazzo Verospi,
485
; and sightseeing,
485
; visits Marianna Dioniga’s salon,
486
; and moonlight walks,
487
; impressed by reliefs in Forum,
488
,
503–4
; and Baths of Caracalla,
489–90
; writes
Prometheus Unbound
Acts I–III,
490–508
; and its publication,
509–10
& n.; friendship with Aemilia Curran,
510–11
; attacked by stranger in Post Office,
511
; moves to Via Sestina,
511–12
; Aemilia’s portrait of,
512
& n.,
516–17
; his interest in Renaissance Rome,
512–13
; and begins writing
The Cenci
,
513
,
514–17
; his illness,
513
,
514
; and illness and death of William,
517–18
; leaves Rome,
518
; and unhappy summer at Monte Nero,
519–20
; uses tower of Villa Valsovano as his study,
521
,
523
,
528
,
529
; and continues work on
The Cenci
,
521
,
523–5
; his physical and spiritual recuperation,
521–3
; and Mary’s pregnancy,
526
,
538–9
,
550
,
551
,
556
,
558
; backs Reveley’s steamboat project,
527
,
550
; dedicates
The Cenci
to Hunt,
528
; his reaction to news of Peterloo,
529–32
; and writes
The Mask of Anarchy
,
532–40
; moves to Florence,
541–2
; visits Uffizi Gallery,
542
; writes series of political poems,
542
; and his open letter to
Examiner
,
542
; and J. T. Coleridge’s personal attack in
Quarterly
on,
543–6
; writes ‘Ode to the West Wind’,
546–50
; his business activities,
550–1
; and writes
Peter Bell the Third
,
551–6
; and his open letter to
Examiner
on Carlile,
556–8
; birth of son Percy Florence,
560
; and ‘calderonizing’ game,
560–1
; Mary against his going to England,
562
; writes ballad about mother and child,
562–4
; his friendship with Sophia Stacey,
564–5
,
568
; and ‘Notes on Sculpture in Florence’,
565–8
; begins writing
A Philosophical View of Reform
,
569
; and his sonnet ‘England in 1819’,
569–70
; his rheumatism,
571
,
572
; invites Tom Medwin to Italy,
572–3
; moves to Pisa (1820),
572
,
573–5
; his friendship with Masons,
575
,
576–7
; and agricultural notes,
576
; and his friendship with Andrea Vaccà,
577
; ill again,
578
; Elena affair,
578–9
; and brush with Colonel Finch,
579
; and letter to Sophia Stacey,
579
; Cato Street conspiracy and,
580
; and news of Republican insurrection in Madrid,
581
; aimless violence expressed in his writing,
581–3
; and his nervous attacks,
583
; finishes
A Philosophical View of Reform
,
583–93
; and his ‘Popular Songs’ not published,
593–4
,
596
; publication of
The Cenci
,
595
; and Ollier contracts to publish
Prometheus
and collection of short poems,
595
; Elena dies and Paolo’s blackmail,
596
; moves to Casa Ricci, Livorno, and consults del Rosso,
596–7
; and Godwin’s demands for money,
597
,
598
; Claire’s anxiety over Allegra and,
598–9
; and Byron’s letter,
599
; writes ‘The Skylark’ and ‘The Cloud’,
599–600
; and Claire leaves,
600–1
; invites Keats to Italy,
601
; and news of insurrection in Naples,
601
; moves to Casa Prinni in Bagni di Pisa,
601
,
602–3
; writes to Godwin about money,
603–4
; and pilgrimage to Monte San Pelegrino,
604
; writes ‘The Witch of Atlas’,
604–7
; and break with Southey,
607–8
; St Bartholomew’s day festivities,
608–9
; peaceful life with Mary,
609–10
,
614
; completes ‘Ode to Naples’,
610
; and
Swellfoot the Tyrant
,
610–11
; and other poems and translations,
611–12
; brings Claire back from Livorno,
612
; and correspondence with Byron about Allegra,
612–13
; his scheme to visit Near East,
613
,
619
; impact of Keats’s poetry on,
613–14
; breach with Gisbornes,
614–15
; 619; Claire leaves for Florence,
615–16
; and Tom Medwin stays with them,
616
,
617
; moves to Casa Galetti, Pisa, for winter,
617
; recurrence of nephritis,
617–18
,
622
,
626
,
627
; his letters to Claire,
618–19
,
621
,
628–9
; is glad of Medwin’s company,
619–20
; writes ‘The Tower of Famine’,
620–1
; his reading aloud of poetry,
621
; Claire returns to Pisa,
621–2
; and introduced to Pisan circle,
622–3
; and Sgricci,
623–4
,
627–8
; and John Taaffe,
624
; and Prince Mavrocordato,
624
,
641
; meets Emilia Viviani,
625–6
; experiments in mesmerism,
626–7
; his dread of lithotomy,
627
& n.; and bad health,
628
,
629
,
654
; his relationship with Emilia Viviani,
628–31
,
639–40
,
641
; and writes verse letters,
629–30
; and
Epipsychidion
,
631–9
; his friendship with Williams,
640
; moves to Casa Aulla,
641
; and his article in defence of Poetry,
641–6
; buys boat in Livorno,
646–7
; and nearly drowns in Canal,
647
; learns of death of Keats,
647
; and his letter to Byron,
647–8
; and financial crisis,
648–9
& n.; writes elegy ‘Ginevra’ for Emilia,
649–50
; his boating expeditions,
650
,
651
,
652
,
655
; moves back to San Giuliano,
651–2
; writes verse-journal of trip down Serchio,
651–2
; and peaceful days with Mary,
652–3
; invites Byron to Bagni di Pisa,
654
; and Claire uses Allegra to put pressure on,