The Harmony Of Wind And Lyre---On Shelley's View On Influence And Originality In His Works

The dispute between influence and originality has existed for ages. Some writers regard influence as a healthy power to inspire them to melody, while others deny strongly the influence coming from their predecessors or contemporaries, and claim to be original. Shelley, on the one hand, desires strongly for originality; on the other hand, he is totally willing to accept the influence from his predecessors or contemporaries. Of course, the influence Shelley means does not only blow from his predecessors or contemporaries and nature, but also from the age that writers live in. This influence of the age is what Shelley discusses more in his prefaces to his poetry, and where Shelley distinguishes himself most from others. His desire for originality and acceptance of external influences are incarnated in two of his poems: lastor?, and de to the West Wind?. Comparing the influence and originality Shelley illustrates, he obviously stresses a greater significance on the external influences he receives, which is due to the deep involvement of these external influencesnfluences coming from nature, predecessors and the age that writers are living in?in his poetic creation.