Shelley and Romantic Beauty

Paper Summary:

This literary study examines the ideology of romantic beauty in the poem "On the Medusa of Leonardo Da Vinci in the Florentine Gallery" by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The writer notes that the central theme of romanticism that arises in this poem focuses on the dark and terrifying Grecian mythological creature Medusa. The writer maintains that for romantic poets such as Shelley, there was a concerted effort to represent feminine beauty and grace through the veil of darkness or death in this poem about Da Vinci's famous painting. In essence, the premise of death and decay is the central element of romantic beauty in Shelley's poem about Da Vinci's depiction of the terrifying Medusa.

From the Paper:

"This critical perspective is one key aspect for understanding why Shelley saw beauty in this terrible creature--through the lens of mythological history and the victimization of Medusa at the hands of Minerva and Neptune. In this manner, the basis of romantic beauty hinges on the darkness of humanity, which invariably will produce a cycle of life. For romantics like Shelly, this cycle of death and decay is an essential part of life that illuminates the beauty he sees within Da Vinci's Medusa.
"The evolution of the poem further builds upon the beauty of Medusa as a seductive woman figure that seeks to bring down any man that comes within her grasp. Shelly is keen to point out her horrifying appearance, but it is her inner 'grace' that defines her beauty through the image of death and decay that seduces men .."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Barcus, James. Percy Bysshe Shelley. London: Routledge, 1995.
• Bloom, Harold. Percy Bysshe Shelley. New York: Chelsea House, 1985.
• McGann, Jerome J. "The Beauty of the Medusa: A Study in Romantic Literary Iconology." 1972. University of Maryland. 27 March, 2007. <http://www.rc.umd.edu/editions/shelley/medusa/mcgann.html>
• Scott, grant F. "Shelley, Medusa, and the Perils of Ekphrasis." 1996. University of Maryland. 27 March, 2007. <http://www.rc.umd.edu/editions/shelley/medusa/gscott.html>
• Shelley, Percy Bysshe. "On the Medusa of Leonardo Da Vinci in the Florentine Gallery" 2006. Infoplease.com. 28 March, 2007. <http://www.infoplease.com/t/lit/shelley/2/5/18.html>

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