Luka'cs & Shelley

Put in a room together, I think P.B. Shelley and Gyorgy Lukacs would realize how compatible they would be as friends. Although Lukacs dislikes the "Romantic-reactionary legend which denies to the Enlightenment any sense or understanding of history and attributes the invention of historical sense to the opponents of the French Revolution," he believes in- above all- history being a process (910, 912). Lukacs touches on an interesting idea- history, like literature, as a process, changing over time (912). Shelley's Defense rests on his belief in literature changing over time; changing according to the given dominant perceptions of the time it is received in the mind-set that it is received in. Lukacs' entire point is that "there is such a thing as history, that it is an uninterrupted process of changes and finally that is has a direct effect upon the life of every individual" (913). Both Lukacs and Shelley focus on the individual's experience within these processes.

I know one deals with literature and the other with history, but both are subjects that are revisited and re-seen and reevaluated over time. Both subjects remain in a single point of view- that of the author. As Winston Churchill pointed out, "History is written by the victors." Examples include Germany as 'bad' in WWII and the United States being successful in Vietnam. I'm not arguing that Germany was 'good' or the United States failed persay, but you see where I'm going...

I wonder how Lukacs [would have] reacted [if] when he read Shelley's Defense. Both of their arguments center on "changes over time." I also wonder whether Shelley would count as the "Romantic-reactionary" or the ideal "Voltaire"-esque writer (910). Shelley does "grasp the salient features of their world with a bold and penetrating realism," like the writers Lukacs discusses; though, whether or not he saw the "specific qualities of [his] own age historically" is up for discussion.

(My fault for being this late. Not only did I have class until 8:15 and didn't post beforehand, but I subsequently forgot what account and password I was using for this site. - Diana)