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    The article explores the origins of Shelley's poem "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty" and argues that it was likely not directly inspired by Plato as previously thought. Through an analysis of Shelley's writings and reported readings, the author finds no evidence that Shelley had read Plato around the time of composing the poem. Instead, it is more probable that Shelley encountered the phrase "Intellectual Beauty" in other works he read, as the phrase was a common Platonic formula at the time. The article examines several specific works containing the phrase that Shelley may have been exposed to as potential inspirations for his poem's title.

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    The article explores the origins of Shelley's poem "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty" and argues that it was likely not directly inspired by Plato as previously thought. Through an analysis of Shelley's writings and reported readings, the author finds no evidence that Shelley had read Plato around the time of composing the poem. Instead, it is more probable that Shelley encountered the phrase "Intellectual Beauty" in other works he read, as the phrase was a common Platonic formula at the time. The article examines several specific works containing the phrase that Shelley may have been exposed to as potential inspirations for his poem's title.

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    10 views2 pages

    McElvolge First Synopsis

    Uploaded by

    KiwiRox5678
    The article explores the origins of Shelley's poem "Hymn to Intellectual Beauty" and argues that it was likely not directly inspired by Plato as previously thought. Through an analysis of Shelley's writings and reported readings, the author finds no evidence that Shelley had read Plato around the time of composing the poem. Instead, it is more probable that Shelley encountered the phrase "Intellectual Beauty" in other works he read, as the phrase was a common Platonic formula at the time. The article examines several specific works containing the phrase that Shelley may have been exposed to as potential inspirations for his poem's title.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
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    Williams 1 -1Kiara Williams

    Mr. McEvolgue English January 15, 2011 James A. Notopoulos. The Platonic Sources of Shelleys Hymn to Intellectual Beauty. Ed. Thomas Hutchinson and R. Ingpen. London: Modern Language Association, 1943. 582-583. Notopoluloss article on the origin of Shellys hymn Intellectual Beauty explores the possible sources for where Shelly got the concept for the hymn. Notopoulos reveals evidence that Shelly did not get the inspiration for Intellectual Beauty from Plato. Notopoulos believes it is more likely that the experience described in Shelleys Hymn to Intellectual Beauty is more personal and not derivative from Plato (582). So far there is no evidence in Shellys letters or poems that he had been reading Plato shortly before or at the time of the composition of the poem (Notopoulos 582). There is a better chance that Shelly got the title of the poem from Spensers An Hynme of Heavenly Beautie and then just tweaked the title until it was to his liking. Shelly may have gotten the idea of his substitution from Platonic tradition not Plato. The phrase Intellectual Beauty is actually synonymous with the essence of Platonism and is not found anywhere within Platos Dialogues (Notopoulos 582).The phrase was made popular by Plotinus and since Plotinus and other Neo-Platonists dont appear anywhere within Shellys writing, this is likely not a credible source. A passage within Monboddos Of the Origin and Progress of Language shows that Plotinus phrase had become a commonplace Platonic formula (Notopoulos 583). Notopoulos adds that Shelly read and reread Agathon in Pernays French translation and was said to have a considerable influence on Shelley and his writings

    Williams 2

    (583). Shelly may have gotten the inspiration for Intellectual Beauty from reading this title due to the fact of the book mentioning the phrase twice. Also Notopoulos states that Shelley read Robert Forsyths the Principles of Moral Science and found the used as the title of Chapter XIV (584). If Shelley had read this title before the summer of 1816 this would be another instance of him seeing the phrase (Notopoulos 584). As of now there are many instances of Shelley seeing the phrase and he could have become very attracted to the phrase. Notopoulos discovered that Shelley was a prodigious reader and many of the books he read were affected by Platonic tradition (584). Shelley may have taken a liking to the phrase just after seeing it once or after seeing it multiple times. Either way Shelley liked the phrase considerably for it to inspire Hymn to Intellectual Beauty.

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