Percy Bysshe Shelley, St Irvyne or the Rosicrucian

Mark Sandy (University of Durham)
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Probably composed in 1810, Shelley's second Gothic tale of romance,

St Irvyne; or The Rosicrucian

, was, to a certain extent, written in the manner of its forerunner,

Zastrossi

[See Separate Entry], which also went to press in that same year. Published by Stockdale,

St. Irvyne

was issued during Shelley's first term as an undergraduate (December, 1811) and advertised as a tale by “a Gentleman of the University of Oxford”. Shelley's composition of

St Irvyne

was, like

Zastrossi

a few months earlier, much influenced by his immersion in the popular offerings of the Minerva Press, including works by Matthew G. Lewis, Anne Radcliffe, and Charlotte Dacre. The literary sources to which Shelley's

St. Irvyne

is indebted also extend beyond this usual stock of sensationalist fiction to William…

1100 words

Citation: Sandy, Mark. "St Irvyne or the Rosicrucian". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 September 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1886, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1886 St Irvyne or the Rosicrucian 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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