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Proserpine & Midas
two unpublished mythological dramas
272 pages
A lush, poetic excavation of classical myth that centers female bonds and human folly through the lens of a Romantic master.
What it feels like
Reading this collection feels like unearthing a delicate, long-lost treasure from the Romantic era. The experience is inherently leisurely and contemplative, demanding that you slow down to savor both the lush, lyrical blank verse and the meticulous scholarly apparatus that accompanies it. The atmosphere shifts from the sun-drenched, pastoral innocence of a mother-daughter bond to the shadowed grief of sudden abduction, counterbalanced by the satirical, golden-hued folly of a greedy king. It is a deeply atmospheric read that immerses you in nineteenth-century feminist myth-making. Devoured by scholars of Romanticism and lovers of classical retellings, this book offers a quiet, bittersweet journey through ancient stories reclaimed by one of literature's most enduring voices.
- Mood
- pastoral
- ethereal
- shadowed
- contemplative
- Tone
- lyrical
- earnest
- reverent
- scholarly
- Pace
- leisurely
- Themes
- feminist myth-making · mother-daughter bonds · the corrupting power of greed · nature's resilience · literary archaeology
- The writing
- Richly poetic and steeped in Romantic-era blank verse, accompanied by meticulous academic transcriptions.
- The arc
- Moves from the serene beauty of untouched nature through sudden loss and folly, settling into a bittersweet, reflective equilibrium.
- Who it's for
- Scholars of Romanticism and readers who love feminist reclamations of classical mythology wrapped in lush, nineteenth-century verse.
Content notes
- abduction
- grief
- loss of a child
About the book
Includes bibliographical references. First work: "Bodleian MS. Shelley d. 2." Second work: "Bodleian MS. Shelley adds. e. 13." "Facsimile editions with full transcriptions and notes."
Description from Open Library.
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