A beautiful and ineffectual angel [Shelley], beating in the void his luminous wings in vain.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Shelley is depicted as a beautiful but ineffective figure struggling without impact.
- In plain terms
- Shelley was beautiful but powerless.
- What can you take from it?
- Beauty alone does not ensure effectiveness.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is beauty enough for art?
- What makes a poet effective?
Another view
This may undervalue Shelley's actual influence.
More from Matthew Arnold
Coleridge, poet and philosopher wrecked in a mist of opium.
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