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. …
1100 words
Citation: Sandy, Mark. "St Irvyne or the Rosicrucian". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 September 2002 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=1886, accessed 26 November 2024.]