Ariel : a Shelley romance

"Ariel: A Shelley Romance" is a biographical novel by André Maurois, first published in 1924. It offers a romanticized account of the life of English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Though based on historical events, the book reads like a novel, blending fact with imaginative narrative.

The story follows Shelley’s troubled and passionate life—from his early rebellion against authority and his marriage to Harriet Westbrook, to his controversial ideas and eventual relationship with Mary Godwin (later Mary Shelley). Maurois paints Shelley as a poetic and idealistic spirit, misunderstood by society but committed to truth, beauty, and freedom. The novel ends with his untimely death by drowning in Italy. The title “Ariel” likens Shelley to the ethereal spirit from Shakespeare’s The Tempest, symbolizing his visionary and free nature