|
|
Article: Travelers from an antique land: Shelley's inspiration for "Ozymandias".(Critical Essay)
- Article from:
- Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics
- Article date:
- January 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 American University in Cairo. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
An enduring myth about artists of all kinds is that work arises from personal physical experience. A case in point is Shelley's great political sonnet "Ozymandias," which is conventionally presumed to have been "inspired" by an ancient Egyptian sculpture. Shelley never traveled to Egypt and thus certainly never saw the landscape he describes in his sonnet. Contrary to popular belief, moreover, he likewise never saw the sculptured head allegedly described in the sonnet, which did not arrive in England until a day or two after he and his family had moved permanently to Italy and more than six months after he had published the poem. All the sources and influences visible in ...
Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:
|
|
Article: Ozymandias.(Poem)
Calliope;
October 1, 2005 ;
472 words
... ... appear: "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings ... for Ramesses II is Ozymandias. The English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) had ... fallen into ruins, Shelley thought about life ... to write the poem Ozymandias.
|
|